Choosing Right is More Important Than Effort? What’s Really Important?

Every now and then, we hear someone say: “Choosing right is more important than effort.” At first glance, it sounds smooth and easy to grasp. However, how can we evaluate our choices as right when they haven’t yielded results yet? Here, what truly matters?

Let’s delve deeper into this topic, shall we?

Choosing Right is More Important Than Effort? – NOT WRONG

I don’t deny this. Looking back at the path I’ve taken, the crossroads I’ve encountered, compared to those still searching for direction, I feel “lucky” to have made some right choices.

Making those right choices has enabled me to progress much faster. But upon reflection, I realize that: Regardless of the choice, it was right for me at that time.

Why? I believe that when charting our life’s course, everyone has their own analysis and insights. No path just magically appears. This also means: Every choice at that moment, you’ve filtered to best suit yourself.

So, what makes those choices considered mistakes? Before answering this question, let’s explore: How do we evaluate a choice AS RIGHT?

How to Evaluate a Choice as Right?

I haven’t had much time to explore whether any research answers the question: How to evaluate a choice as right? However, after skimming through a few topics and based on personal experience, I can tentatively draw this conclusion:

“A choice is often considered right when it helps us achieve the desired outcome, be it a tangible factor, the initial goal, or even a mental factor, such as personal expectations or emotions.”

However, not every goal can be achieved in a short time. Some goals may take only a few months, while others may take several years, or even a lifetime.

So, how do we evaluate a decision as right when we haven’t “touched” the final destination?

During the journey towards the goal, there will be many “variables” that you cannot foresee. This may lead your path to deviate from the original plan. Moreover, due to different encounters and experiences at different times, our goals may no longer resemble the initial ones.

“At 24, my goal was my career, which I considered as the ultimate security of my life.
At 27, my goal was happiness, which I defined as balance in friendships, love, family, and career.”

You might still be reorienting yourself on that journey. As a consequence, you might set yourself a new goal, perhaps related or unrelated to the original destination.

So, if the goal changes, the old goal is abandoned before being achieved, can the previous decisions be considered mistakes?

Here, I believe: Even if the old goal is discarded and replaced by a new goal, even if it has nothing to do with the original goal, it cannot be said that the previous decisions were mistakes. Because, to reach a new goal that better suits yourself, you have also experienced a series of events because of the input from previous decisions.

In addition, one thing I’ve noticed is: We often deny our own choices when we fail to meet the expectations after making that decision.

What makes those choices considered mistakes?

Let’s try asking this question: If there are still people who succeed in making money due to university education, then why do some people who choose the same input still fail to succeed in making money?

Some possible answers could be: EQ; IQ; effort; discipline; focus; and luck. EQ, IQ, and luck are innate and not everyone possesses them. Effort and focus can be entirely decided by oneself. So if the “gifted” group is not favored, then we still have the “self-made” group to rely on.

I believe that, regardless of where you start from, as you experience more and learn more, you will gradually level up yourself. I used to be very afraid of crowds, and now, sometimes, it’s my stage.

In conclusion, when the output does not meet expectations, we often tend to think that our choices were wrong (not all of them). However, in reality, most of the results come from internal factors in the process of pursuing that output.

Personally, I believe: There is no choice that is a mistake, there are only good choices and better choices.

What’s really important?

Life will have many unpredictable variables. Therefore, the destination at each stage may sometimes be very different (even if you haven’t reached it). And when the destination changes, sometimes the old decisions are no longer related to the new destination. This creates a sense of “waste”, making us regret our decisions.

So, how do we avoid feeling “wasted” on the journey we’ve traveled? Furthermore, when we haven’t reached our goal, it’s very difficult to evaluate whether our decisions are right or wrong. If we rely too much on weighing the choices when there is no wrong choice, could this also be a waste of time?

Therefore, learn to adapt flexibly. Flexibility is what helps you win.

Conclusion

In my personal opinion, both choices and efforts are equally important. Because my assumption is that no choice is wrong, there are only good choices and better ones. Therefore, while choices can help you progress faster, lacking effort may leave you stranded halfway. On the other hand, effort will enable you to persevere regardless of the chosen path.

However, in today’s rapidly evolving world, adaptability is even more crucial than ever before. The rules that were applicable decades ago may no longer hold true today. Similarly, goals, strategies, and plans set a few years ago may now be outdated. Even though they were the best choices at the time.

Here, I’m not advocating for reckless decision-making, but rather emphasizing the importance of making informed decisions. Instead of relying too heavily on factors beyond our control, it’s better to focus on the aspects we can manage. That’s adaptability.

The perspective shared above is based on my own small and humble viewpoint. It may not resonate with everyone, but I believe that many small viewpoints like mine contribute to forming a larger perspective. Let’s share our thoughts and insights together!