29 March, 2007

Oh, dear. How do people make decisions? When you have these big, real life, affecting-other-people kind of decisions to make, what do you do besides make mental lists of pros and cons, talk to other people about how each choice might make you feel, and do countless hours of informal internet research? I'm not sure how other people do it. I'm sort of fascinated right now with reading blogs (of friends or strangers) that deal with important decisions in the writers' own lives. Really? You decided to move there? How did you do it? What did you think about? Really? You decided? How?

2 comments:

Karen Shimizu said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Karen Shimizu said...

I comment on this blog WAY too often. Let me know if it is too much. I remember reading once that people usually make emotion-based decisions, and that we then make rational arguments to justify that emotion-based decision. I think that's how it works for me. But it always helps when there are rational "this is a good decision, isn't it?" things to shore up what my hot heart wants - or doesn't want.

Example: I decided to go to NYU because the program description and what it seemed like people were achieving there made me want to reach out and grab those things and make them mine. It was going to be expensive - I knew that - and though I was competing for a fellowship, I was not guaranteed any kind of aid. But I sent out all of my "no thanks" notices to my other, cheaper, here's-the-aid-we-have-for-you-up-front schools, and just figured I would find a way to make it work (even if that way was student loans out the wazoo). And I was happy with that. But then this morning - lo! - I received word that the department had allocated a hefty chunk of tuition remission awards for me. So there is now a rational impetus for me to prefer NYU to the other schools. But I would have gone even if I hadn't gotten any good financial offer, because its what my heart wants. (As far as I can tell).

Love,
K

I'm on Flickr a lot.

Jessica K.. Get yours at bighugelabs.com/flickr