Questions for Deciding
Current location: Milwaukee, WI, USA
Reading: The Power of Regret by Dan Pink
Listening: Fly Moon Die Soon by Takuya Kuroda
(if you have a moment, reply with your own 3-item status)
Questions for Deciding
When I'm mulling over some kind of new opportunity, relationship dynamic, career change, or other deviation to my existing lifestyle structure, I work through a series of questions, including:
Will this increase or decrease the number of options and opportunities I have in the future?
From where I'm standing today, does this seem likely to make me more or less fulfilled, more or less challenged and growth-oriented, more or less generally satisfied on a day-to-day basis?
Could the time, energy, and resources I would spend on this be better spent on something else (for some value of "better")?
Does this align with my values?
Do I have any ethical problems with this choice, where it puts me, who and what it associates me with, or the things I might be required to do as a consequence?
Is this a decision I would be comfortable having other people know I made? Would I be proud of it?
What are my other options, both obvious and less-obvious? What does the exact opposite choice look like? Are there any positives to that opposite choice I'd be missing out on?
What will this cost me (in terms of money, energy, time, relationships, opportunities, preferences, priorities, reputation) daily? Weekly? Monthly? Yearly? Over the course of my life?
What are the downsides and how might I reduce their impact?
Is this a stepping-stone to something else? If so: how might I skip it, how might I get stuck and fail to make the next jump, and how might I convert the opportunity into more than just a vehicle for getting from point A to point B?
What is the very first thing I'll need to do once the decision is made? The first big, effortful thing? The first expensive thing (in terms of time or money)?
What unknowns are associated with this decision, and how might I make them known before deciding?
Is there another way to accomplish the same intended outcome?
Are there other outcomes that would also be acceptable to me?
Who might I talk to if I want to be more certain about this decision? What might I ask them and what might they say that would make me more or less sure of my decision?
Who and where do I want to be in five years/ What do I want to be doing with my life at that point? Does this get me closer to that desired outcome?
What's the best argument for this decision?
What's the best argument against it?
Will the future version of myself thank the current version for making this decision?
I often come up with other questions that are more specific to the decision I'm facing, too, and many of these questions lead to other, more granular questions.
But I find that interrogating the issue in this way casts light on previously unseen dimensions of the opportunity, makes me more aware of possible consequences for choosing one way or another, and allows me to address niggling or substantial qualms, quibbles, and quagmires—which in turn allows me to feel more satisfied and confident with whichever direction I ultimately choose.
If you found some value in this essay, consider supporting my work by buying me a coffee :)
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Things I've Made This Week
Select, recent works from across my project portfolio.
Aspiring Generalist: Tacit Knowledge
Brain Lenses: Cleaning (podcast version)
I Will Read To You: Lincoln
Let’s Know Things: Monkeypox
Curiosity Weekly / Daily: July 19 / July 19
One Sentence News: July 20 (podcast version)
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Interesting & Useful
Dollar Street — www.gapminder.org Imagine the world as a street. Everyone lives on Dollar Street. The poorest to the left and the richest on the right. Every else live somewhere in between. Where would you live? Visit Dollar Street and see homes from hundreds of homes from all over the World.
The Best-Selling Video Game Consoles of All Time — www.visualcapitalist.com Video game consoles have changed drastically over the last 50 years. Here are the best-selling ones across the globe, by company and region.
BigPicture 2022 Winners — www.bigpicturecompetition.org BigPicture is open to all photography enthusiasts and professionals alike worldwide to compete for a chance to win the $5,000 grand prize.
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Outro
My one, big indoor-activity risk at the moment is a Dungeons & Dragons gaming night, twice-monthly.
I attended the first one a few weeks ago and it was a lot of fun. There's another one happening (at a German bar I've yet to visit) tonight, so fingers-crossed it's a relatively well-ventilated environment and folks are contagion-courteous, staying home if they're experiencing any symptoms (infections are up most pretty much everywhere right now: please be careful out there, for yourself and your neighbors).
I've had quite a few new people become patrons and Understandary members (and coffee-buyers) this past week: thank you very much to everyone who is in the position to support my work in this way and chooses to do so. You make my many projects (including this newsletter) possible and I'm truly grateful for that.
And to the folks who are not in the position to monetarily contribute right now but who sent me kind, lovely messages this past week: you made my day more than once and I appreciate you.
What's life like in your world at the moment? Experiencing any weird weather conditions? Any lifestyle changes you've implemented recently, or any you're thinking of undertaking?
Send me a quick message and tell me something about yourself and/or what you've been up to. You can reach me by replying to this newsletter or by writing to colin@exilelifestyle.com.
You can also communicate via the usual methods: Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, or laughter in a bunch of languages.
If you’re finding some value in what I’m doing here, consider supporting my work: Become an Understandary member / Become a Patron / Buy me a coffee