Chi For Yourself

Are You Changing Your Mind Too Much?

If you could be more of one thing, what would it be? Do you wish you were more decisive?

Do you feel like changing your mind too often is a nasty habit?

There are times when a change of mind is appropriate, but… do you do it too much? There might be something in that.

Generally, the decision-making process is to review the information at hand. This makes sure you’re prepared and informed.

And it allows you to make the right decision, right?

That’s the idea.

Not all decisions are quite as cut and dry as that. When you make a decision, you may find yourself doubting your decision.

You second guess yourself. You feel like an unprepared flake.

And you worry that people see you as undependable. We all go through periods of indecisiveness.

It’s something that we all do in degrees. As in, you may cancel plans because you changed your mind about meeting someone.

You could change your mind about your chosen career. Then, you beat yourself up about the change of heart.

You did so much work and then went off in the opposite direction. There’s no shame in changing your mind.

The habit of second-guessing yourself is the real problem. So it’s less about indecisiveness and more about inability to trust your decisions.

If you have the ability to reassess a situation and change your decision, that’s a positive. There’s a major difference between being flexible and being indecisive.

Most of us fall somewhere in the middle of flexibility and indecisiveness.

The Differences

You may look at your habit of changing your mind a lot as frustrating. But it may show that you’re curious and more aware than others.

You aren’t afraid to admit that you made a poor decision and change course.

What you can’t do is control your impulse to change your mind. It might be a relationship, your career or a course at college.

Sticking with it… might be wasting your time and leaving you discontented with life. The ability to admit you were wrong suggests that your character is one of strength.

It might lead you to a place of contentment.

You may go back and forth, but aren’t you making more progress than if you were to have stayed standing still? One of the biggest reasons we change our minds too often is we worry about what other people think.

For example, your parents may have an expectation for your life. You might feel as though you’re on the wrong track, but you keep at it because you don’t want to disappoint them.

Sure, it may disappoint them if you stop your progress and change directions. That will only be temporary, though. At their core, they want you to be happy.

You may worry about letting others down if you chase your dream or skip out on a job. Your happiness is your own, though.

So, don’t concern yourself with what everyone else thinks about your decisions.

Few people have it all worked out and that’s okay. And people don’t think as much about your decisions as you’ve convinced yourself they do.

Don’t ignore your gut

If you have a nagging feeling about a decision, it’s not too late to make a change even if you’ve already made the decision.

Don’t be afraid to change your mind, Even if you believe you do it too often.

Changing your mind is a strength of your character, not a weakness.

JohnK 5-20-2024
chiforyourself.com

Overheard: “Progress is impossible without change; and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything”

                                                 George Bernard Shaw