Make a Choice, Any Choice

Not too long ago, I wrote about how (and why) it’s a good idea to act actively, not passively, in your day to day life.

The idea is that there is so much information available nowadays that it can become easy to sit back and let it wash over you, piece by piece, tab by tab, meme by meme, until you’re unable to even stand up, let alone create something of value yourself. In the words of English poet, translator, and satirist Alexander Pope (1699-1744), “Forever reading, never to be read.”

With that said, sometimes you’re actively looking for information. Sometimes the whole point is to search for something to read to help you solve a problem.

In this case, while it may at first seem handy that there are 750 million search results for your query, this doesn’t much help you when you have to go through these results, not only checking the validity of each, but trying to discover which is most relevant to you, or which may most suit your current needs.

Even if you bring your results down to four or five choices, it can still be difficult to decide upon one in which to follow, replicate, or learn from—assuming different ideas surrounding the specific piece of information you’re looking for is discussed in each.

The trick here is simple. Make a choice, any choice.

Choose to move forward, not remain stranded deliberating over the tiniest details. Make a choice, and move forward with confidence. The rest is up to you. ∎