A story about an Aussie breakdancer and the voices in my head
Reading time: 2 minutes
"A man who procrastinates in his choosing will inevitably have his choice made for him by circumstance."— Hunter S. Thompson
A few weeks ago, I suffered a crisis in decision-making.
Although I am almost 40, I still get as hyped about things as I did when I was a kid. But, this youthful, I-never-want-to-grow-old, Peter Pan-like, Robert, frequently comes into conflict with the more Yoda-like, mature, rational, husband and father of two Robert.
This posed a particular problem during the recent Olympics when I found myself on weekday mornings facing harrowing decisions like:
“Robert, should you do your work, or should you watch the women’s breakdancing competition?”
In this particular case, I chose work, then missed out on one of the most unforgettable moments in the 3000-year history of the Olympics:
Still licking my wounds of regret after missing Raygun (the Aussie breakdancer above, in case you didn’t know) in action, the battle of the two Roberts reached a climax when I saw that the Olympic closing ceremony was scheduled to start at 9 p.m. on a Sunday evening. A tough decision would have to be made.
The Olympic closing ceremony happens only every four years, and in the build-up, there were rumours of a crazy stunt by Tom Cruise and a live performance by the Red Hot Chilli Peppers.
“Could this be even better than Raygun?” Peter Pan fretted.
But, Yoda rolled his eyes and countered:
“Robert, your entire family, including your kids, are in bed already. Experience tells you that closing ceremonies are long and always suck, and you are going to be tired tomorrow (Monday) and have an unproductive day. Don’t do it. Be an adult and go to bed!”
So, I ended up sitting in front of my TV till midnight, stuck in a self-imposed purgatory, with Peter Pan and Yoda battling in my head. I half-heartedly watched the closing pageantry, but with my laptop open, trying to fool myself into thinking that I was working and being productive.
Ultimately, my indecision led to the worst-case scenario: Monday morning greeted me with exhaustion, no work done, and no joy from the ceremony.
I should have said, "Screw it. I’m willing to pay the price of being tired tomorrow", opened a beer and enjoyed the ceremony. Or, "No, the juice is probably not worth the squeeze", and gone to bed.
The moral of the story:
The cost of indecision is usually higher than the cost of a wrong decision.
Just decide.