Be afraid of your choices.
How many choices do you make each day?
We probably make a hundred of choices each day.
When I wrote that down, I thought I should fact check my own assumption. Good thing I did. Because I was so wrong.
35,000 remotely conscious decisions each day!
Most would assume that people who are largely goal oriented wouldn't have any issue in making choices in their life as they know what they want. However, research on decision making has shown that our preferences are quite easily influenced - especially when we encounter something new.
Life is the C between the B and the D
Wait, what?
Well, that’s what they say. Between the “B” (Birth) and the “D” (Death), life is all about the C (Choices) we make.
A colleague of mine told me this once and it’s stuck with me for a very long time:
“When you come to the office in the morning, you have a choice. Either be that person who drains energy from others, or be that person who brings energy to others.”
Thanks Andreas Sontum V?reid :)
As a parent, I realized we can’t be curious and angry at the same time. Most of the time, conflicts are resolved with curiosity. The choice we make predicts the reaction we get. However, 98% would choose to instantly judge or assume, rather than to choose to ask questions.
In reality, making a choice in itself is a choice.
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Fear is holding us back
Every time we return to our “indecisive” mode when making a choice, it’s really fear that is holding us back. We’re faced with abundance of choices and we become paralyzed. We're afraid of losing something. What other people would say about us. Make the wrong move. Have regrets.
At work this happens every day. I remember when we were working on our brand at Oneflow, we were deciding whether to go the conventional route or the unconventional route. It was scary.
Should we really go unconventional?
There aren’t many B2B brands out there rocking bunnies, rainbows and looking like “My Little Pony” at times. Would people take us seriously? How are contracts related to cute white rabbits?
Making a choice is scary, but making a choice that nobody else (98%) makes is even scarier.
But someone, ahem, the 2% has to lead the way. The 2% needs to show that it’s okay. In fact, it’s not only okay, it might just be the best, life-changing choice we’ll make in our life.
Be afraid of your choice
The truth is, we should be scared of our choices. If it doesn’t scare us or make us feel uncomfortable, we’re not allowing ourselves to grow. We’re denying ourselves to witness the greatest potential that is intended for us to achieve as humans.
Know that nothing stays the same forever. Choices are inevitable to make life happen. When it feels like you’re making a choice that will cause you to lose what you’ve always known, you’re actually gaining new experiences in the unknown. Nothing is ever lost.
The choice we make defines our future.
Choose what makes you the best. Make the conscious decision to be our best every day and let that guide every little choice we have to make along the way.
Remember: “Life is the C between the B and the D”.
VP Marketing, Global Brand and Content @ Sinch ?? I B2b tech marketing leader, brand builder
2 年I love it Ling ? You know you make the right choice when you follow your true self, even when that's scary. I know you did! What is interesting I think with all the choices we have to make is how easy or hard those choices are, and for me, very often the biggest choices are not the most difficult ones. Move to another country, yes let's do it! What do we eat for lunch... you pick for me, I can't decide!!! ??
"The B2B Emily in Paris". Building brands that matter through colorful storytelling! Marketing Manager at Enigio.
2 年YES! I'm so glad to have the 2% as a bold, beautiful example. Make the uncomfortable choice. More bunnies, rainbows, and "My Little Pony" in B2B. ?? Thanks so much for sharing! I was once given a challenge to consciously make "bad" decisions. And it was SO. HARD! But so rewarding. It might sound counterintuitive, but the point of the exercise was to not overthink and to not stress about the "might bes" and consequences and what everyone else is doing - but to make a choice, stick to it, see that you survive - and maybe even thrive. It was about building a "tolerance for uncertainty" - because life is so much more relaxing that way, but also, so much more beautiful!
B2B Attribution & Activation?? Dreamdata?? Sales leader with a crush on marketing
2 年I look up to you Ling. So strong, goal oriented and clever. Love the article.
Digital growth nerd | No BS strategist | Director of growth at 10web.io | Mom & wife at home
2 年Nice piece, thanks for sharing! I think we’re most afraid of the choices we haven’t made, we know they are sitting and staring at us. And that’s damn scary!
Business Director at Shaped By | Helping B2B tech firms build bolder brands ?? | Host of The Changemakers podcast ??
2 年Why can't we add more than one reaction to this?! It deserves a ?? ?? ?? ??. Which one to go with...now that's a difficult choice ??