Do Nothing

When buying or signing a contract, I am often pressured to make an immediate call.

Do I want to lock in the price? I have to pay now. Do I want that contract? I have to sign it now. Can I commit to this deadline? I have to do it now.

No, I don’t. There will always be another sale. Another contract. Don’t let your fear of loss decide for you. If it’s a good opportunity, it is likely to be there later, too. And if it isn’t – so what? A better one would come along eventually.

When faced with a demand to decide on the spot – I developed an automatic negative response. I will not decide now. I will think about it. I will sleep on it.

By accepting that I must decide now I am, in fact, relinquishing control. I am letting the other party decide. They have their best interest at heart, not mine.

An interesting TED talk stipulates that intelligence is measured by one’s ability to keep as many options open for as long as possible. In that sense, not deciding now is the intelligent thing to do.

So when forced to decide on the spot, I do. I decide to do nothing. I’ll get back to them later. Or not.