Good Enough
A recent article by Barry Schwartz, a professor of psychology, notes that those who insist on the best choice are less happy than those who are willing to accept the good enough choice. We all recognize the abundance of choices most of us have. It's paradoxical that the more choices we have the more difficult our lives can become. There are many people who perpetually seek the best, the perfect choice in life. We all know some of these people: People who forever seek the perfect food and drink, the perfect price, the perfect item, the perfect career, the perfect mate, the perfect vacation, believing that the perfect choice will make the perfect life. These people are never satisfied, never happy with their choices. Most importantly, some of these are unable to make any choice. As Professor Schwartz teaches us, there are several reasons for this, including the fear of the responsibility that comes with the wrong choice.
I've written about a related issue before. The desire for perfection is laudable; the paralysis that can follow from the unwillingness to make a choice until the perfect choice emerges is not. Even when a demonstrably better choice is eventually made, the time consumed can make life more difficult. And, if the better choice is not perfect, the time is wasted. Even worse, those who insist on the best choice aren't happy even after making the best choice. Those who insist on the best choice can never be sure there isn't some better choice they haven't found or haven't considered.
The answer is simple: Make a good choice with dispatch. Accept that the good choice is enough. And don't look back. Don't second-guess your choices. I don't mean that we should rush, that we should fail to make choices, that we should make bad choices. But it's now clear to me that the difference between good enough and best is not worth agonizing over. Sometimes we should deliberately narrow the possibilities in order to make a choice, in order to enjoy our choices.
3-1-04
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