Making Hard Choices
Occasionally, when I have a hard time deciding between options on a menu, I have joked that while I’m great with big decisions – whether to get married, buy a house, or change jobs – I can get paralyzed by the prospect of choosing between (as I had to do just the other day) General Tso’s Chicken or Pad Thai.
That’s not entirely true, of course. I sometimes agonize over big decisions as well! ☺ Which is maybe one of the reasons I find the whole topic of understanding how we make choices so interesting.
In this TED Talk, lawyer-turned-philosopher Ruth Chang invites us to think differently about how we make hard decisions. Several things stood out to me. First, hard choices are often good choices. That is, it’s rarely that one choice is bad and the other good and we just can’t tell the difference. Rather, it’s because both choices are so comparable – usually in a good way – that the choice is hard in the first place. That, in turn, invites a measure of freedom – there really will be some good outcomes of either choice – and a measure of empowerment – the problem isn’t that you’re not smart enough or aren’t good with decisions, it’s that this really is a hard choice!
Another element I found helpful is that sometimes we end up trying to compare things that aren’t really comparable. For example, many of us have made lists of pros and cons assuming that we can sort of total the different columns and reach a decision. But while some of those items are comparable – the salary of one job over that of another – that’s very different than trying to compare something fairly measurable – for instance, a salary – with something that is less measurable and more value-oriented – perhaps the way a job may line up with a passion or sense of purpose.
There’s still more, but I don’t want to spoil the Talk, so I’ll stop and simply invite you to watch Dr. Chang’s 14-minute presentation. No doubt you may be weighing whether to do that or do something else, but keep in mind that watching this may just help you with all the other decisions you need to make as well. ☺
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In 1966 as I completed my study for ministry at Luther Seminary, I made a choice to switch to medicine as a career. Over the years I have come up with many reasons for the change. Now I understand it was a choice I made for myself that had no good reasons. It is just something that I did and have never regretted. As I look toward retirement I sometimes do wonder where the other path would have taken me. Bill
I am sure you were a valuable help and encouragement to your church. Your M.Div was not a waste, it was God preparing you for your ministry as an M.D.