Confessions of a Six Figure Professional Blogger

The Danger Of Maybe

December 28, 2009 | Advice

Have you ever found yourself caught in an endless rat-wheel of indecision? The kind that just paralyzes you and nothing happens?uncertainty

It is a rat-wheel. You just sit there and spin, but you go absolutely nowhere.

There are three options to any decision or action in life:

  • Yes
  • No
  • Maybe

There are only two answers you should ever accept in yourself: YES or NO.

“Maybe” is dangerous. It hangs you up. It leads to inaction. It leads to confusion. It leads to overwhelm. Habitual indecision is not a good thing no matter how you slice it.

If you look at any successful leader, they have one thing in common: They made decisions. They did it quickly, and they didn’t look back.

Some mental incompetents look at people who do that and call it simple-minded, unpolished, unsophisticated. They couldn’t be more wrong. Power lies in simplicity. Complexity is the result of doing something wrong. The worse leaders are the ones who get stuck in figure-figure mode, second-guess, make decisions slowly.

How can you apply this in daily life?

  • When you open an email, make a decision on what to do with it. If more data is needed, move the email to a different folder then schedule time to deal with it decisively. If you can handle the email right away, do so and then delete it. Don’t let a bunch of indecision pile up in your email inbox.
  • Got an idea for a new blog? A post? A strategy or tactic? Well, make a point to take action on it or decide to forget about it. Yes or no. A bunch of maybe’s just clog your mental pipes and nothing will happen.

You should be brutal about this, my friends.

Life could be viewed like an assembly line of decisions. Yes or no keeps the belt moving. Getting stuck in a maybe stops the progression.

If you find yourself stuck in a “maybe” rat-wheel, then determine exactly what information you need in order to resolve the maybe. Then, go get that information and bring the matter to a close. If you simply can’t decide, then just say “no” and move on with your life. Any decision is better than none.

You want more time? You want more mental clarity? Apply this advice to your life.

Yeah, this is a bit philosophical for a blog about blogging, but I think it is very applicable to us all. Do you agree with me?

If you enjoyed this article, you might also like...

  1. Blog Comments And a HUGE Wasted Opportunity
  2. Do You Suffer From This Disease?
  3. Don’t Fail (Again) At Your New Years Resolutions
  4. 7 Actions for Success
  5. You Want Everything For Free? Beware!

Learn The Real Story On Blogging As a Business...

  • Get immediate FREE access to the Six Figure Blogger Blueprint
  • Get exclusive stuff NOT available on this blog.
  • Get the latest updates from the weird Risley man who runs this site.

Enter email:

  • I agree, and i make quick decisions. Want or don't want / Yes or No.
    Maybes is just a comma, but in the end, it's a YES or NO.
  • You know, I couldn't agree with you more. Seriously. I have been a maybe kind of person for a long time and I have recently seen the results of my life because of it.

    Well, not actually a maybe person but I have the habit of over thinking ideas and not actually getting things done. Not any longer. I believe that if you make a decision and stick with it be it good or bad, it will at least keep you moving in your life and you will then be able to fix a mistake you make later on using the same: Yes or No.

    I feel the same thing goes for taking action in your life. If you want to get something done for yourself and improve your life in some way, well, take action. If you actually don't know what the right action is, do it anyway. What's going to happen is you are going to realise you messed up and will then be able to fix it if you are serious about doing so.

    I know 2010 is going to be a fabulous year.
  • hajjumrah
    What you say of successful leaders is apt. They never procrastinated. Quick decision making and the ability and passion to follow through marks the rise of all successful men.
  • Making the wrong decision, however, could possibly lead to a worse eventuality than no decision: Therefore, before committing, change the viewing angle on the subject: Rephrase the question, observe the situation from a different point of view, analyse further, and gain more information on the issue at hand, in order to be able to come to a concrete decision that is more likely to lead to the correct course of action.

    Make the decision though; don't end up in a state of procrastination: Let everything that you do be something that you have decided to do; that way YOU remain in control of your destiny, rather than allowing circumstance to gain the upper hand.
  • Werner
    One of the easiest ways to disperse with Maybe is by using the classic Ben Franklin Decision Maker. It's easier and more direct than mind-mapping
  • Interesting Post David, you should take a look at a book called The Impulse Factor...Pretty much it goes into detail why some of us can make quick decisions or impulse decisions and why some of us take a lot of time to make decisions. It goes into detail about our bodies chemistry and so forth. Not a bad read.
  • Great timing of this article for me. I've been trying to capture the best way to keep ideas flowing and expanding to start this new year off with a bang. Mind mapping is saving me and now its up to execution. Taking your advice: "Power lies in simplicity"
  • Totally. BTW, if you ever wanna write up a guest post on how mind mapping has helped you, I'd be interested. I've tried mind-mapping and, while I can see the value, I tend to be more list-oriented. The bubbles and stuff in a mind-map just don't get it done for me.
  • That sounds great David. I'd definitely be interested. I've been recently using them with my music marketing projects and its helped me tremendously. I did have to get past that "Beautiful Mind" stage of endless charts, but now they serve a purpose.

    I enjoy lists as well and one free mind mapping application I recently tried allowed me to export a mind map in chart and outline format which is very useful.

    I will email you any future ideas.
  • I've said maybe too long. Starting my blog a couple days and buying a domain for that has definitely helped me out. Say no to maybe!! :D
  • David, that's a great point, but one that can be over-applied.

    Yes, maybe is paralyzing. Yes, under MANY circumstances it needs to be avoided. However, sometimes the stall that maybe represents is useful; it's just a matter of knowing when to employ stalling as a conscious tactic.

    Second point: I'm fond of pointing out to my clients that most choices that come across your periphery have three outcomes. Good/Better/Best in always-happy coach-speak, Good/Bad/Acceptable in the real world. Well . . . acceptable is the maybe, and while it may feel like a compromise, or like "kissing your sister", sometimes maybe/acceptable is the best way to go, both for immediate survivorship (or even thriving!), and for long term benefit.

    Don't completely discount maybe. Just don't let it paralyze you, either.

    Jeff Yablon
    President & CEO
    Answer Guy and Virtual VIP Computer Support, Business Change Coaching and Virtual Assistant Services

    Answer Guy and Virtual VIP on Twitter
  • I often get caught in that maybe, yes. I should definitelly kick it out of my life. It's true, when you have a lot of "maybe"-s, they interfere any you remain paralyzed.
  • Werner
    To me, Maybe is like the word "Try" - it's non-commital.

    This may be a corny reference, but there is a definite truth in the words Yoda spoke in one of the early Star Wars movies when he said, "Do - or do not. There is no try."
  • Yoda was a wise little elf. ;)
  • Maybe- whenever i used that i was in trouble. The moment i deleted it and made a decision, i was satisfied, even if i failed.

    Nice post!
  • "Maybe" is just like "someday". It's the hunching of the shoulders that takes us nowhere. I've done maybe and someday, gave them up years ago.
  • I used to do a lot of maybes - lots of ideas that I never followed up on - now I look to see if it works into my plan and use it or forget about it.
  • Great Post D...Maybe is a wimpy way out of making a decision, better to step up and say yes or no, then hide behind a maybe.
  • Right on, bro.
  • I despise maybe. My brain is hard-wired to make a yes or no decision as fast as possible. It's much easier and frees up my time or gets me to take action as fast as possible. Delete maybe from your vocabulary and your life becomes much easier!
  • Sometimes we need to be tough on ourselves. I know some people who spend hours on a decision and in the end leave it aside to "think" later. I know someone who has about 6000 emails in the inbox! Most of them are ones to "think" about later.

    Yes we need to just delete "maybe" as difficult as it may be for some.
  • agree with you on that..
blog comments powered by Disqus