Maybe you create complexity to justify inaction. A fork in the road is a smoke screen when you spend all your time kicking the dirt.
3 fork principles:
#1. Both options lead to the same destination. Choose one road.
“When you come to a fork in the road, take it.” Yogi Berra said he was giving directions to Joe Garagiola.
While traveling to Berra’s house one may choose the left fork or the right fork and both are acceptable decisions because both efficiently lead to his house. (Quote Investigator)
Suppose you aspire to leadership. You wonder should I take a course, or should I hire a coach? Just pick one. (Use the needle-tip method below.)
#2. The needle tip method. Choose one road.
I ask people to make imperfect decisions all the time.
“If you had to decide today, which path would you choose?”
“You don’t have 100% certainty. So, which way does the needle tip?”
- Stop searching for perfect decisions.
- Stop exploring all the pros and cons.
- Stop projecting into the distant future.
- Make short-term commitments. Think in terms of three months, not a lifetime.
#3. Both options are actionable. Choose both roads.
I had a conversation with a leader who presented an either/or scenario. Should I further my education or start writing a blog?
Sometimes an EITHER/OR decision is an AND situation.
Pondering:
The road you didn’t take causes what ifs. But it’s better to make a decision than spend your days kicking the ground at the fork in the road.
Robert Frost wrote:
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
Bonus: If you can’t choose between two equally good options, flip a coin.
What advice do you have for FORK IN THE ROAD moments?
