As watch collectors, we find ourselves pondering over purchase options/decisions all the time. Perhaps we often know the answers to our questions, and our brain hides it from us?
So you have a decision to make, and have been mulling it over for some time. Perhaps you are trying to figure out whether or not you need to make some change in your life, and have decided that one more conversation with a close friend or partner, or an email to your boss, will give you the information or confidence you need to reach a conclusion.
In the case of watch collecting, we’ve all been there before. You’ve held a view about a certain watch for some time, and then it becomes available. Perhaps you are now unsure, or have not had a chance to try it on, or you’ve since found another similar watch which you think is perhaps equally good value. You are convinced you need a little more time to be 100% sure.
As far as I’m concerned… the chances are, you already know the answer.
You already know you want the watch (or do not).
You already know she is the one (or is not).
You already know what you should be eating (or not).
You already know what habit you need to break (or start).
Basically, you already know what you need to do, to reach your conclusion, or finalise your decision. To me, this is your gut, which knows the answer; we simply aren’t in the habit of trusting our gut. Even if we are, sometimes a particular decision might be so monumental or impactful in our lives, that we can’t reasonably just ‘trust our gut’ without being able to substantiate our decisions (to others, most of the time).
You bought a $100k watch without trying it on? You quit your job without the other job contract being secured? Your gut knew you were making the right call, but your logical brain wouldn’t let you do it based solely on your gut feeling.
Since the second we took our first breaths in this world, our bodies and our brains have been recording our interactions with, and reactions to, the world and everything around us. There is a ‘diary’ of sorts, encoded into our being, and this diary has a detailed record of everything. What improves or deteriorates our health, mentally and physically; what weather, scenarios, and personalities resonate with us, and which ones do not; or what order of priorities takes us closer to our ideal lives. Over the years, this diary has been filled with billions of data points, and every single one has one unifying characteristic: instinct. They act like a compass, pointing you towards exactly what you want and need.
So, do you truly believe you should (or should not) buy that watch? Do you genuinely have no idea whether that new job is right for you? Are you truly unsure whether that romantic partner is the one for you?
I think most people do have these answers. So, if it was that easy, why do most folks choose to dawdle and defer their decisions? Rather than a lack of information, or genuine uncertainty… I think people prefer the relative safety of being ‘in the process of deciding’.
Buying that watch today, means one perhaps can’t buy some other allocation that is expected to come soon… and people don’t want to close the door on any of their available options. Taking that new job, or indeed finding a new job, means one is forced to take action. Going into a new relationship means one must actually take a plunge of some sort, and that means one can’t continue with the known status quo.
The moment we accept what our gut tells us, what we already know, that is the moment when we also have to accept that we can no longer hold out for another chat with a friend, or another therapist session, or another boutique viewing… it means that we have reached a point where we have to steel ourselves, to trust ourselves, and… act.
Or don’t… the thing is, fighting this knowledge leads to all kinds of problems which will probably fry your brain :)
Originally published at http://screwdowncrown.com on July 10, 2022.