Analysis Paralysis

I work part time with my family in their retail furniture store. I have been doing this for many years, it gives me lots of experience with people which has been invaluable.

Something I find interesting is how often people sabotage their buying decisions when they do not trust their own feelings and judgments. I call it analysis paralysis. It is when someone is afraid to make a choice so they say they need more information. They get the needed answers, but they still are afraid to make a decision and....another round of questions and answers and still no decision.

At that point they often ask if one of us can come by and give our opinion... which we always do. For a certain amount of customers that may finally give them the reassurance to move forward with a buying decision.

Just as many others however begin to murmer "I'm just not sure. I will have to think about it a little longer." This of course got me thinking abut how often we put some aspect of our life on hold because of analysis paralysis...we doubt our own instincts so we tell ourselves it isn't safe to make a decision....we need more information......we are stuck and in the end we end up cheating ourselves.

The next time you have a decision to make, think about how you are feeling inside. Feeling a little nervous or stressed over new decisions is a part of life, letting yourself get stuck with analysis paralysis robs you of the ability to feel any fear and do it anyway.

In the end there really aren't that many decisions that you can't 'fix" if they turn out to be wrong.