A Moral Obligation to Try
For quite some time, I believed that the motto “Just say yes” was a guiding principle for those seeking adventure and growth. During my college years, this encouraged me to step out of my comfort zone. I said yes to joining another social club, taking on another coding project, and attending yet another hackathon.
Undeniably, this approach might have been necessary for me to push myself out there and gain more experience. However, it eventually proved exhausting. I vividly recall days when I wanted to give up everything, feeling uninspired and unmotivated, simply because I had too many commitments on my plate at once.
Gradually, I learned that saying yes to everything isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. I simply don’t have the time nor the energy to accept every single opportunity presented to me. Yet, I also don’t want to miss out on valuable experiences.
So, how can we strike a balance? How do we effectively decide which opportunities are worth pursuing and which ones to let go?
The answer lies in the concept of “regret”. Regret is a powerful and complex cognitive emotion. The “what if” question is so potent that I’m sure most of us have had moments where we’d have done anything to turn back time.
Interestingly, when it comes to opportunities, we often regret not trying, rather than failing. If we use regrets as a compass for the question “Should we say yes?”, we can harness its power:
“Will I regret not doing this?” If the answer is “Yes,” I know that I have a moral obligation to myself and the people around me to do it
- Lexie Alford
By reframing our decision-making framework through this len of potential regret, I’m certain we can make informed choices about which opportunities to pursue. This approach allows us to push our boundaries when it matters, all while avoiding the inevitable burnout that comes from saying yes to everything.
So, next time you are faced with an opportunity, pause and ask yourself: “Will I regret not doing this?”
References:
Ted Talk: Life lessons from the youngest person to travel to every country