Burden of Unmade Decisions

What is heavier, a ton of feathers or a ton of bricks? At first glance, you may assume the bricks are heavier. But this is a trick question, both weigh the same as both weigh a ton. It just takes many more feathers to equal a ton than how many bricks are needed to equal the same amount. The heaviest things in life are not either of these tons or any other material object. The heaviest weight in life is the burden of unmade decisions. This weight expands beyond the physical realm and traverses deep inside of you.

The burden of unmade decisions is so heavy because they are oftentimes tied to the fear of the potential consequences of making that decision. If you opt to make one decision, one outcome could occur. If you opt to make another decision, another outcome can occur. This fear of what can, will, and should happen based on your decision causes you to suffocate over the weight of this unmade decision. This weight squeezes the life out of you and steals your mental capacity. You lack focus on things around you because your focus is drawn to the pending decision you have yet to make.

The mental strain your mind is under when you are bearing the burden of unmade decisions is called anxiety cost. Anxiety cost saps your mental energy and increases feelings of stress, helplessness, and fear because it steals your attention from everything else in life. Anxiety cost is analogous to opportunity cost. Every moment spent worrying about the unmade decision, every second thinking about the unmade choice, could have been used to think about other things if you went ahead and made the decision. Anxiety cost quantifies how unmade decisions steal your life force. For every moment of indecision, you are straining under the weight of that unmade decision. Once the decision is made, anxiety cost is promptly removed and you retain control over your time and mental capacity.

Life is not meant to be lived where the majority of your time is spent waffling between which decision to choose from. If you spend your days contemplating, flip-flopping, and ultimately not deciding, you don’t have control of your life. You are letting the weight and burden of unmade decisions steal not only your mental capacity but also your time. When you feel the elephant’s weight on your chest, the best thing you can do is let go and decide. Make the decision and feel as light as a bunch of feathers.