How can we improve our decision-making process? We could say that a decision is always a choice among possible alternatives. We like to believe that we are able to analyze a situation, then we understand it, then we know which alternatives are possible, and then we make a decision by choosing one of these alternatives.
According to this view, the decision is a choice, and the number of possible alternatives to choose from depends objectively on the situation (it is part of our reality).
However, when we analyze a situation, we actually derive from it our own personal interpretation. Different people will have distinct interpretations for the same reality. This individual interpretation may open some possibilities and close others. Therefore, the number of possible alternatives we have is subjective and depends on our personal interpretation.
The point is that we can choose our interpretation. For example, when we choose an optimistic interpretation we may have more alternatives than when we choose a pessimistic interpretation. As we say: “Every adversity contains, at the same time, a seed of equivalent opportunity!”
Based on our choice of interpretation, we will be able to make our decisions. If we choose a positive interpretation, we can actually expand the range of possible alternatives to be selected. In contrast, if we adopt a negative interpretation, we limit the number of alternatives we can choose from.
Therefore the choice of interpretation is a first-order choice, while the decision itself is only a second-order choice. Our ability to make decisions is directly impacted by our approach when interpreting the situations we are facing.
The way we choose interpretations to our reality can be called our attitude towards life. It is related to our mindset.
We should learn to make better interpretations in order to create more favorable alternatives and thus make better decisions.
