I have perplexed myself for years with a disconnect between thoughts and actions. I don't remember when I first noticed that certain mental occurrences that I thought were decisions really weren't, because decisions issue in action. Decisions are what you do, not what you think about, not what you wish for.
After all, the Latin roots of "decide" mean, "to cut off," as in, "to cut off other possibilities," or "to cut off further consideration." Decisions end discussions, including internal ones.
Anyway, ever since that making that realization, I've wanted a word to describe mental occurrences that feel like decisions, but aren't. It just now struck me that the word has been in my vocabulary forever: choices. Once you've decided, you've decided, but you can choose and re-choose forever.
Choices change, decisions don't.
At least, that's what I'm going to work with until I find a better formulation. From now until then, my encouraging word to myself is:
Make fewer choices, and more decisions.
After all, the Latin roots of "decide" mean, "to cut off," as in, "to cut off other possibilities," or "to cut off further consideration." Decisions end discussions, including internal ones.
Anyway, ever since that making that realization, I've wanted a word to describe mental occurrences that feel like decisions, but aren't. It just now struck me that the word has been in my vocabulary forever: choices. Once you've decided, you've decided, but you can choose and re-choose forever.
Choices change, decisions don't.
At least, that's what I'm going to work with until I find a better formulation. From now until then, my encouraging word to myself is:
Make fewer choices, and more decisions.
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