“You gotta jump.” -Steve Harvey
I don’t know about you but I’m probably the most naturally indecisive person you’ve ever met. Not even kidding, I’ve spent the last 3 days trying to figure out what I wanted to write about.
I’ve said it before, I have the hardest time making decisions. I’ve been known to stand in the peanut butter aisle for upwards of 17 minutes trying to decide what kind I want. One of the primary reasons I like to shop at midnight.
Obviously, as one could easily point out, this isn’t the most effective way of accomplishing things. And since I find the idea of turning to stone in the peanut butter aisle revolting, I decided I’d better do something about it. I decided to just pick one and try it. Worst case, I’d try something different next time.
Now, maybe one of the only positives of being diagnosed with Crohn’s, was that it took away a lot of options. As my potential list of choices narrowed, it became much easier to choose foods that I liked but also didn’t make me feel like trash.
Through trial and error, I found a solid core of these foods that worked for me and were easily repeatable and somehow started to get good results. Now I can be in and out of the store in 17 minutes and I no longer have to wait for the right peanut butter to pick me. Matter of fact, it’s not even on my list.
Funnily enough, these bouts of indecision plague me on the golf course too. What club should I use? Easy full swing? Hard half swing? Should I go over the tree? Under the tree? Around the tree? Should I hit it high and flop it or hit it low and roll it? How hard is the wind blowing? Do I still have the right club?
All these questions will make you’re head spin. You’re standing there staring at the ball and suddenly it just starts to fade out of sight because it’s buried under all those thoughts and questions.
That’s when I have to tell myself, “None of this extra stuff matters, TeeJayye. Just choose a path and hit the ball.” One by one, the cloudy questions fade away and the ball becomes the only thing I can see. And lemme tell you, it’s a lot easier to hit the ball when you can see it.
The great thing is whether it works out or doesn’t, I get great feedback. If I don’t like the way a shot turns out, I can try something different next time. This thought process opens the door for creativity and in a roundabout way actually increases the number of options to choose from!
Sooner or later, you have a Tiger Woods-like arsenal of different shots in your golf bag to navigate the course with. It all just depends on how long it takes you to grab the peanut butter off the shelf…