What is paradox of choice?
Do you regularly struggle through it? I certainly do
So what?
ICYMI – Have you ever found yourself overwhelmed by choices? Welcome to the paradox of choice. In a society where options are abound and decisions are abundant, it’s a modern conundrum that permeates your life in ways that you might not even realise. Say you are strolling down the aisle of a store, only to be paralysed by the amount of choices you have of cereal boxes or mindlessly scrolling through Netflix titles that paralyses you from asking a decision. The paradox of choice is an excess of choices that lead to stress, anxiety and, ultimately, dissatisfaction.
In this blog series, we are going to discuss the five strategies that you should implement in your life. Join us for the next few blog posts to deal with the hidden impact of choice overload and discover what you can do to lead a more balanced and fulfilled life.
Learning from your experience
The decisions you’ve made in the past stand as road signs that offer valuable wisdom to help guide you through the paradox of choice. Learning from your experience lies not just in the outcomes but in the subtle nuances that shape your choices. You need to dissect the decision making process and understand the factors that led you to each decision. In order to do this, you have to have a reflective mindset. Every choice you make is an opportunity waiting to be studied. Delve into the details and layers of past choices so you can examine the motivations, aspirations as well as fears that guided them. Synthesising on these lessons will have you transform the maze of choices to one that you will be confident to decide on.
My experience
As someone that struggle with OCD, embracing imperfections is one of the hardest aspects of dealing with the paradox of choice for me. It’s challenging because of unrealistic expectations as well as my personal insecurities. Further to that, my lack of self-confidence also contribute to the difficulty in accepting imperfections. This certainly doesn’t help when it comes to making decisions. Over time, and more recently, I’ve been working on accepting and understanding that nobody is perfect and imperfections are natural. Imperfects are what makes us unique and authentic. Applying this mindset when making decisions have been helpful for me.
What now?
- Which of the five strategies are you most fond of and which ones would you find most challenging?
- Pick one from each and incorporate them the next time you are making a decision.
- Start small and work yourself up to bigger decisions as you get better.