decisions vs choices: what's the diff?
spag mol essay idea. something instinctive tells me they’re not the same thing, but it’s going to need further investigation.
decisions vs choices: what's the diff?
A mistake repeated more than once is a decision. —Paulo Coelho
Benjamin Hardy • Personality Isn't Permanent
As I make hundreds of small choices throughout the day, I’m building a life—but at one and the same time, I’m closing off the possibility of countless others, forever. (The original Latin word for “decide,” decidere, means “to cut off,” as in slicing away alternatives; it’s a close cousin of words like “homicide” and “suicide.”)
Oliver Burkeman • Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals
Yet, for all the impact this specific choice has had on the trajectory of my life, I value the way it changed my view about choices even more. We often think of choice as a thing. But a choice is not a thing. Our options may be things, but a choice—a choice is an action. It is not just something we have but something we do. This experience brought
... See moreGreg Mckeown • Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less
Building on this, perhaps choices are something we do/act upon, but decisions still sit in that murky realm of intellectual rationalisation. Your choices and decisions can be at odds with each other, and that’s the riskiest place to be.
the only way to live authentically is to acknowledge that you’re inevitably always making decision after decision, decisions that will shape your life in lasting ways, even though you can’t ever know in advance what the best choice might be. In fact, you’ll never know in hindsight, either – because no matter how great or appalling the consequences
... See moreOliver Burkeman • Meditations for Mortals: Four Weeks to Embrace Your Limitations and Make Time for What Counts
"Whether a decision is good or bad can change based on how you act after the choice is made.
You can't learn all the lessons beforehand. You learn a lot about what you want in a marriage after getting married. You discover what type of career you enjoy after doing a lot of work. And so it goes in nearly every area of life. In many cases, what you w... See more
You can't learn all the lessons beforehand. You learn a lot about what you want in a marriage after getting married. You discover what type of career you enjoy after doing a lot of work. And so it goes in nearly every area of life. In many cases, what you w... See more
3-2-1: On getting what you deserve, the power of flexibility, and how good decisions are made
“I think about decisions in three ways: hats, haircuts, and tattoos.
Most decisions are like hats. Try one and if you don’t like it, put it back and try another. The cost of a mistake is low, so move quickly and try a bunch of hats.
Some decisions are like haircuts. You can fix a bad one, but it won’t be quick and you might feel foolish for awhile. T... See more
Most decisions are like hats. Try one and if you don’t like it, put it back and try another. The cost of a mistake is low, so move quickly and try a bunch of hats.
Some decisions are like haircuts. You can fix a bad one, but it won’t be quick and you might feel foolish for awhile. T... See more
James Clear • 3-2-1: On hats, haircuts, and tattoos
We make so many of our decisions from the removed viewpoint of a “life well lived” — i.e. devoting ourselves to a career that will pay off at the point of retirement (what’s that?), or perhaps struggling through a damaged relationship because eventually it will work out — instead of making decisions that enable us to live well day-to-day.
(Annie Di
... See morerough draft for an essay section
What my friend says sometimes bewilders me because he looks like a thirsty person standing right in front of a glass of water, yet when you suggest maybe he should drink it, he goes, “No, can’t drink that. There is a wall in the way.”
No, there isn’t!!
This makes me realize that what I said earlier in this essay is not enough. You can’t simply list w... See more
No, there isn’t!!
This makes me realize that what I said earlier in this essay is not enough. You can’t simply list w... See more