The benefits we have in this generation unlike previous generations is the ability to look up any information we need at any moment. It’s our greatest strength.
Our information reach is unlimited, but that also makes it our greatest weakness.
Because we’re given more options than we can count, it makes our decision-making unlimited. We get to choose from an endless supply of websites and sources and keep looking until we find the right one. And that’s a demoralizing thought.
Barry Schwartz introduced this concept in his book, Paradox of Choice. While having some choices is necessary and beneficial, having too many choices leads to negative outcomes, like decision paralysis and higher expectations.
In regards to information, to apply his concept is to realize how fatal the paradox of choice is.
For example, let’s say you wanted to open a coffee shop and you don’t know where to start.
You go to the internet and search up how to open a coffee shop; you get blasted with different articles and blogs and you take notes along the way, learning what you need and discarding what you don’t.
As soon as you think you’re done researching, you take a break and realize you forgot something important.
You hop on the internet again and find additional information. But wait, now you’re seeing different results from your first search. They recommend doing this step before you do that step, and claim you don’t actually need to do this, contradicting what others told you about that.
Part of the issue is information overload, but the pressing issue is that you’re now presented with more information and you must pick which sources you want to trust your life with for the next couple of years.
You lose faith and ask yourself, “is this really the best choice?”
It’s not, and it never will be.
We will keep thinking there’s a better choice. But we don’t know where that better choice is, so we keep looking, never taking the risk of settling down.
Most get stuck at this stage, and they never get started because of it.
Pick one and stick with it. Start somewhere with whatever you have, even if it’s little. Doing so will help you track down the better option, and only then can you pick better options.
Start with you have have, where you are, and you’ll learn to trust yourself.
Here’s my inspiration for the day.