The Choice Paradox

Think about this. If you were given two candy bar options to choose from, it’s safe to say you’d pick your favourite and be relatively satisfied with that choice, right? But what if you were given a choice between 20 different candy bars? Would you be equally satisfied with your choice?

Author

Callum Carver
May 07, 2024

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Learning to choose is hard. Learning to choose well is harder. And learning to choose well in a world of unlimited possibilities is harder still, perhaps too hard.”

Barry Schwartz

MORE CHOICE WILL MAKE YOU MISERABLE

350 Words | 1 Min 30 Sec Read

Think about this. If you were given two candy bar options to choose from, it’s safe to say you’d pick your favourite and be relatively satisfied with that choice, right?

But what if you were given a choice between 20 different candy bars? Would you be equally satisfied with your choice?

Of course, you wouldn’t.

You’d spend the rest of the day wondering what life would have been like had you chosen another option, which would end up leaving you worse off than having only two options.

This is the paradox of choice—the more choices you have, the less satisfied you are with each one.

This filters into every aspect of your life, into relationships, business, and self-improvement. Think about it.

If you read an issue from The Kaizen titled ‘32 Ways to Make Money in 2024’, initially you would feel an abundance of choice and freedom, but after a little analysis, you’ll come to the conclusion that you're more lost than before you read the issue because you have no idea what to chose from and even if you do end up making a decision, theres no saying that there isn’t a better option that you missed out on.

It's much better to narrow down your options to give yourself direction and also have no regrets when you choose an option.

So, ask yourself the question: Where in your life do you have a choice that makes it not only hard to make a decision but also disrupts your progress as you’re stalled trying to make a decision?

Whatever it is, narrow it down and make your life easier.

ACTIONABLE NEXT STEPS:

It’s just like Tinder. At first thought, this seems great – we now have access to all these people who we never would have been able to conventionally meet!

However, with so many possibilities for a partner right at your fingertips, so too enters the paradox of choice. How do you pick one person to date when there are so many other options out there that might be better?

This might mean that you make rash decisions since you don’t have enough time to look through all the options or you might careless with your decisions and swipe right on everyone.

You could miss out on the love of your life because of the abundance of choice.

TAKEAWAYS:

More choice is making you miserable.

The paradox of choice stipulates that while we might believe that being presented with multiple options actually makes it easier to choose one that we are happy with, and thus increases consumer satisfaction, having an abundance of options actually requires more effort to make a decision and can leave us feeling unsatisfied with our choice.

Like a child in a sweet shop, you want all of them, can’t have all of them, choose one, and then regret your decision.

LESSON OF THE DAY ⤵️

“I have many big goals that I want to achieve, but the progress is difficult and slow, and it is affecting my thoughts and life that I am a failure, what mindset should I develop?”

- Anonymous

You need short-term and long-term goals that result in short-term and long-term wins.

No one can live off a long-term goal, especially when working towards it could take years before you see a return.

You need to start rewarding yourself for the small wins, as those small wins compound and propel you forward to the long-term plays.

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