Life is all about making decisions. To many, this is (understandably) one of the single most stressful aspects of their life. After all, decisions have consequences, and some can have serious long-term impacts - so yes, it is important to think things through. However, one of the most common mistakes that people make seems to be overthinking everything they do, and as a result, often not doing anything. As such, I like to live off of advice that goes against prevailing wisdom: sometimes you need to be impulsive.
At the end of the day, dreaming doesn't matter if you don't do it, and overthinking doesn't help anything if it just causes anxiety. After all, nobody cares about what you wish you would do; they care about what you actually do. So many positive results in my life have been the result of impulse decisions. I applied for that job, I made that sales call, I went to that party, I jumped out of that plane, and so many other things that led me down astonishing new paths that I might otherwise have never seen.
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In fact, despite what people think, many of these decisions we make are surprisingly low in risk or consequence. Debating whether or not you want to learn to play the guitar? Go buy one and get started. Absolute worst case you just sell it and lose a few bucks. See an appealing job that you might not feel qualified for? Give it a shot. You already don't have the job, so if you don't get it, nothing in your life is going to change. We adopt this pessimistic outlook that we defend as "comforting" or "realistic" when all it does is limit our true potential. Yeah, rejection sucks, losing a few bucks sucks, but life is a numbers game where sometimes the dice isn't going to roll in your favor. Looking at the negative outlook is nothing more than a terrible habit that is going to prevent you from ever taking a chance on something positive. Save the pessimistic outlook for deciding whether or not the weather is good enough to safely fly your airplane, and most of the time just go ahead and try something new. I've made many impulsive decisions in my life - such as learning to kayak, learning to skydive, and playing guitar - and all of them led to friendships and professional connections that have done more to [positively] shape my life and career than I ever could have imagined.
Remember: you can't steer a car that's not moving, and your life is the same way. If you're not actually going to start taking chances and trying new things, you aren't going to be able to guide your life in the direction that you want. You could spend half your life debating and overthinking your choices, and the only place it's going to take you is the same place you started. Now, don't get me wrong: not every decision is meant to be impulsive. My personal advice? Save impulsiveness for the decisions that are not emotionally-fueled. If you're mad at your boss, or fighting with your significant other, it's best to take five and think for a minute (or a few days) before doing anything rash. Similarly, decisions with a high possibility of severe consequence (and no, going for a tandem skydive doesn't fall into this category due to countless safety provisions that are in place) need to be analyzed much more aggressively.
Nevertheless, don't be afraid to jump right into something new. All too often, I hear the phrase, "I wish I would've started this a long time ago" and it's almost depressing. Life is too short to overthink every decision, sometimes you can't be afraid to just nut up and do it.
