The Paradox of Choice
This book’s subtitle is “why more is less” and it captures the essence of this book. I found myself fascinated by the research and the awareness level it “piqued” within me on all the choices we are confronted with on a daily basis.
It is absolutely crazy how many choices we are offered on a moment to moment basis, yet even with all the choices we have…..#1 we are unhappier than ever before, and #2 we want more choices! It doesn’t make alot of sense, but that is what is happening….the research and the book gives some great insights and findings around what the “power of choice” is really doing to us all. I definitely recommend this book folks, as it has really helped me understand myself and others at a whole new level as well….it is a fantastic read!
The 3 main lessons I have taken from this book are:
1. Satisficers and Maximizers. There are 2 main categories of people….the satisficers are “satisfied” with things once they hit their standard and they move onto the next thing. The maximizers are relentless and must have the best of the best, no matter the costs. This was enlightening for me and helped me better understand the qualities of both.
2. Too many choices can cause health problems. The research shows that people with too many choices end up being more depressed, being unhappier, more stressed, etc. because after they choose something they spend all of their time focusing on the ones they didn’t choose versus enjoying what they did choose!
3. Make my decisions irreversible. Once I have decided I have committed to giving it my all and enjoying the journey….and moving on to the next priority in my life. Life is too short and too valuable to spend too much time and energy on anything that isn’t going to have an ROI of some kind. That doesn’t mean I won’t evaluate and measure, it just means that I will find the appropriate balance and continue to work on improving my decision making skills.
There are numerous other lessons I took from this one folks….again, it’s real, it’s honest, and it’s some really great insights that can be applied to many areas of your life. I highly recommend you pick this one up for your Success Library!
May you always find yourself surrounded by a great book…..
In Your Service
Brandon Johnson
“Positive Energy Guy”
