Another reason why it’s so difficult to make a decision amongst many choices is that we want to make the absolutely right choice. In the book, “The Paradox of Choice” by Barry Schwartz, a professor of psychology at Swarthmore College, he says that we need to become comfortable with the idea of “good enough.” Seeking the perfect choice as he says, is a “recipe for misery.” I agree.

This problem of the perfect choice extends even to marriage. There’s a book by Lori Gottlieb, “Marry Him: The Case for Settling for Mr. Good Enough,” in which she says that too many women think they have to pick just the right one for a husband. Instead of wondering, “Am I happy,” they ask, “Is this the best I can do.”

Ah yes, the pesky problem of perfectionism. Now, this complicates things when things are already complicated enough. My advice, “Get over it and get on with it.” Perfect does not exist. If you live for that you are not living, you will be forever deciding. Make a mistake and live. We can always get divorced, return our Costco purchase. It is not clear that more choices give us more freedom, in fact choices could decrease our freedom and happiness.

I like the position that a German professor of psychology, Gerd Gigerenzer says in his book, “Gut Feelings: The Intelligence of the Unconscious.” He says, get as much as information as you can digest quickly, sleep on it all overnight, and make an intuitive decision in the morning.

Just remember, it’s by making mistakes that we determine the correct path and truth. Like Doestoyevsky once wrote, “It is only the fool who would become wise.”