Decision Making Anxiety: Why the Oak Tree Approach Beats Perfect Choices

I was on a call with someone who was wrapping up a (second) masters and trying to figure out what was next. 

Did she want to work for massive policy-making organizations, creating large-scale change, but living in a big city?

Did she want to live in a place closer to and with more connection to Nature— and only work with small NGOs. 

Both are perfectly viable options. Pros and cons can be found for both, and one can confidently, logically, be chosen as much as the other. 

When logic can’t decide between two good paths, sometimes you need a different approach. This is where the spaghetti method can be helpful. Slap the proverbial spaghetti of options on the wall and see what sticks. 

Just because you choose Option A doesn’t mean that Option B is closed to you forever. Option A may be the best possible choice— and then you learn or grow and suddenly Option B makes more sense. 

You’re allowed to grow and change. 

There is beauty in being like an oak, rooting in and growing thick with wisdom. 

The oak also drops thousands of acorns, scattering them to the winds so that they may lead new lives. 

The fun thing in this human experience is that we can, at any point in time, decide to lead a new life. 

If what you’re doing isn’t working, change it. 

If “safety” and the “sure thing” left you feeling like the spice of life is gone and everything is now bland— pick up the proverbial salt shaker. 

AND (here’s the real revolution) if you’re content, truly content in your life, can find joy in the small things and feel peace with what you’ve accomplished, contributed, or set in motion… 

You’ve won. Let the noise of “more” and “bigger” and “better” fall away. You’ve already beat the whole game.