SPONTANEOUS DECISIONS: WHY ARE THEY MADE 1
AND WHAT ARE THEIR CONSEQUENCES
Spontaneous Decisions: Why Are They Made and What Are Their Consequences
By: Sudiksha Budhrani / 2440043811
Faculty of Economics and Communications Binus International University
Professor: Mr Andrews Thren
9 November 2020
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There are 5 techniques in decision making which are rational, avoidant, dependent, intuitive, and spontaneous. Firstly, rational is when you logically think through your decisions before choosing in the end. Secondly, avoidant decision making is trying to avoid deciding for as long as you can. Thirdly, dependent decision making is asking the help and advice of other people before making a decision. Fourthly, an intuitive decision is a decision made based on your gut feeling. Lastly, a spontaneous decision is a quick and unthought decision. Spontaneous decisions are decisions without an exact plan in mind, it is something like just going with the flow and doing what feels right at that exact point in time. “Plans are an invitation to disappointment.” (Landy, Coil) I will be further explaining about spontaneous decision making, why they are made, and the consequences of making a spontaneous choice.
First of all, spontaneous decision making gives us relaxation and it lessens stress. When you make a spontaneous decision, you go with the flow, you don’t have any expectations of the outcome and you are ready to accept whatever happens. Moreover, making a decision without thinking is not always bad because sometimes the decision can be made with your gut or your subconscious which rarely goes wrong. (Yu, n.d.) Spontaneous people are also less worried about life because they can move on in life without blaming themself for their hasty decision, they are also able to understand that life will proceed. Spontaneous people also believe that everything will happen under God’s will, everything will happen under his plan for us. No matter how much we plan, if it is not the best thing for us, it will not happen. People that do not plan the situation do not have any expectations of how the situation will turn out, which leads them in being less disappointed. They usually make decisions based on following their instinct, which sometimes can make more sense than using your brain. (Duczeminski, 2015)
Furthermore, spontaneous decision making makes people more creative. Spontaneous people do not limit themself to how society labels them or follow standards of the media. They are lost in their imagination, in their drama and fantasy of life. They are not scared of the judgments of the world because what they do is based on their passion and it is for themselves,
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their happiness and not anyone else’s. (Duczeminski, 2015) Marc Chagall once said, “If I create from the heart, nearly everything works; if from the head, almost nothing,” We are so used to making a plan, following it, and expecting that everything happens as per what we want it to be. We don’t give space for our decisions and our choices to be creative because everything is very basic and usual. When you make a crazy decision, sometimes without even thinking, it is when you lose yourself in the opportunity around you. This does not limit you in what you do. Creativity is something special, it is magic that happens when you least expect. (Oppong, 2019)
Last but not least, spontaneous people are happier. They want to make the best out of every moment in their life and will grab every opportunity that comes their way. Moreover, spontaneous people are more resilient towards the mistakes of their decisions and are willing to take the next best step going forward. (Morewedge et al., 2014) “An average American makes 6,709 spontaneous decisions per year.” In addition to that, based on a study conducted by OnePoll, spontaneous people were 40% more content.” Further research also suggests that 56% of the 2000 Americans surveyed said that they have made an important spontaneous decision in their life and have been content with the result. Humans get bored easily and making an instant decision is the element of surprise in our life that creates that excitement which contributes to our happiness. Oftentimes, when something unexpected happens, people which are fast decision-makers usually look at it in a positive light which also makes them feel good. (Digitalhub | Surprising Percentage of People Feel Happier after Spontaneous Decisions - Digitalhub, 2020)
On the contrary, making a spontaneous decision has its flaws too. I will discuss the consequences of making a hasty decision which includes an unpredictable or negative outcome and stress.
First of all, making a quick decision will lead to an unpredictable outcome which could be negative and lead to regret. When we decide without really thinking through the possible outcomes, we are not ready for what will happen. Although, people that make instant decisions argue that they will be happy with whatever the outcome is that only works if the outcome is
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favorable. The real question is, what if the outcome is not what they desire or had in mind. They will blame themselves, feel regretful, and will not be able to move on from that 1 bad decision in their past. What is even worse is that they keep the grudge and continuously hate themselves because of that mistake they made in the past. (Anderer, 2020) For example, when someone gets a tattoo without thinking and they want to get it removed because they don’t like it. The experience of getting it removed can be very painful and remorseful. The removal of a tattoo with a laser can be very painful since it takes about five to 15 treatments to fully remove it. Of Course, there are pain-numbing creams and antibiotics but these only lessen the pain and do not fully remove the pain. (Nikishado & Nakajima, 2013)
Last but not least, making an unprompted decision will lead to stress. People often regret the decisions that they make without thinking it through. The negative outcome usually makes people feel stressed out. For example, someone makes a bet and he bets everything because he was obsessed with the money he could win and he does not think of the outcome. If he loses this bet which could be his home, all his money which he saved for the past 20 years. The situation will make him stressed and he would probably be thinking about how he is going to feed his family and where they are going to stay which can make him go through a lot of stress and anxiety or even worse end up with depression. (Bergland, 2016)
To conclude, life is to be lived not planned. Based on QuotesGram.com, “The best decisions are made without thinking.” Life is a journey in which we should live to the fullest, enjoy every opportunity, learn from every failure, and forgive ourselves for every bad decision. Sometimes, we need to realize that everything is God’s plan. Every experience that did not go our way is meant to teach us something or another. We should not stress, hold grudges, and let our past mistakes haunt us because that is not how life is supposed to be. In life, learning will always happen until you get old and it is important to make the most out of every moment. Life is a play, it's a drama, sometimes we make a decision without thinking it’s okay, don’t do it the next time. A spontaneous decision should not always be regarded as a bad thing because what if you decided to give your leftover to an unfortunate person on the road, it is not a bad decision.
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References
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