When trying to navigate a path through difficult decisions, especially one with several options, we often reach for all kinds of things essentially designed to keep us from one significant question — what do I want to do?
We avoid this question for a variety of reasons, including just not wanting to put ourselves out there for all to see. Reasons, we claim, are why we do things. But, so often that is not really the case. Often, we don't do something simply because of our fears — fear of failure being among the larger ones.
Data, for example, is a convenient thing to hide behind (even from ourselves). But, doing something because of the data alone too often just serves to create some cover for us to locate blame, if things don't turn out well. At the heart of the matter, we really are just avoiding a more powerful driver in our lives. Do I want to do this or that? ...not whether this or that will work out.
Many times we do things out of necessity; that is simply part of life. But, when it comes down to choosing between options, we really need to face why we wouldn't do, in the end, what we really want to do. There may, in fact, be good reasons. But, choosing something, even for good reasons, that you really don't want to will likely just be exposed at a later point in time — you didn't really want to do it anyway.
So, though a process of getting to it is important, the more significant question persists regarding any particular option — do I want to do this?
All of this is on my mind at the moment because of something directly in front of me right now...finish here.
