Prose and Cons

The entirety of our lives is composed of outcomes directly derived from the decisions we make on a daily basis. Take a minute to truly think about the magnitude of that statement. However, tread lightly; I advise you to not dwell on the thought for more than sixty seconds lest you become consumed with it and ultimately begin to question every decision you have ever made or will come to make in the future.

My complete argument is based on the assumption that fate does not exist. (Whether I believe this as a fact is currently irrelevant.) Constantly we are faced with choices. Whether it is an outfit choice for the day, the route we take to work, what song we listen to, or what we have for dinner - the subconscious is always weighing the options. The aforementioned are most typically determined without any large internal battles or causalities. The real war is waged when there is something greater at stake.

When we are faced with these confusing conundrums, what is the best way to come to a concise conclusion? You can talk it out, seek advice, sleep on it, or play it by ear. Yet I find all these methods insufficient and incredibly inconclusive. I believe the most effective method to be the Pro/Con List. Mock me if you will, but this underestimated system provides accurate insight into all aspects of the decision at hand.

A Pro/Con List forces a person to take into account every positive and negative effect that could result from said decision. Every outcome is factored in; I cannot think of a more holistic approach. That being said, I think this list is underutilized for same reasons. 

When making decisions no one truly wants to hear what the best choice is (as much as they'd admit they do.) Ultimately people want to be told that the best choice for them is the exact same one as the one they secretly hoped you'd say it was. Deep down everyone knows the decision they'd like to make, however they fail to factor in all of the possible results, or they chose to ignore them.

My advice: if you're ever faced with a tough decision make a Pro/Con List. Even if you have duped yourself into thinking you have no idea what you want, after making the list and determining the best course of action, if you are disappointed in any way by the outcome then you now know you knew what you wanted all along.

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