I've been sitting at my desk, head crammed to capacity trying to decide out of all the proposals I have received so far for provision of additional insurance cover, which one to choose. And it's a problem every person of every age faces daily.
From the 6-year-old at the ice cream counter who has to choose from chocolate-chip, chocolate-ripple, chocolate-fudge or chocolate chunks (and he hasn't even reached the selection of toppings)! To the teen girl who's shopping for her prom and has to figure what trend to opt for - will it be the mini, the A-line, the asymmetric, the calf-length or the floor length dress? To the mother who has to figure out who among all the pediatrician she has received recommendations to take her newborn. To the director of operations on which pension scheme best suits the size of the company and the needs of the staff, to the CEO on which mergers to consider and which acquisitions to side step! I could go on and on...because I have so many example to choose from...(pun intended).
So how did something that started out as the ideal, something that at its most basic can be viewed as a basic human right - the right to choice - turn into something that can be truly paralyzing? Why has our society evolved to a point that there needs to be 30 brands of bottled water to choose from?
For me, choice has become a monster because of this simple fact. You cannot, no matter how much thought you put into it, escape the fear that whatever you choose, the other option would have been better. You know what I'm talking about, don't you? That nagging feeling, that incessant suspicion that maybe you could have chosen a little better.
And the real rub of the whole deal? The more time it takes for you to make a choice, the more frustrated it makes you feel and born out of that frustration is the likelihood that you'll make the wrong decision! One of the greater paradox of our time I'd say.
And if you are the perpetrator of this crime, the person plaguing us with these ridiculous choices, it's amazing to realize that people are less likely to buy something if you have so many different variations of it! The fewer the assortment the more likely someone will see something they like and buy it without further thought! (I suspect that's the reason some flavors of Fanta are just a memory now). I'm not joking- do the research!
So here's the musing, don't get so caught up in trying to get as many (if not all) possible options available under the sun. That freedom and sense of empowerment you think you'll be getting, it may just be taken away from you with the amount of energy it'll take you to decide!
What's your take?
No comments:
Post a Comment