Sterling Terrell

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You are here: Home / Potpourri / How More Options Are Better

How More Options Are Better

How More Options Are Better

More options are better than fewer options.

Ok, well maybe not on the toothpaste aisle.

On the toothpaste aisle, 500 different toothpaste choices just feels like one more decision I have to make.

For large life decisions, however, this is not the case.

Greene calls this the difference between strategic thinking and formulaic thinking.

I mean, I would rather have 5 career options than 1, for example.

So how can we systematically put ourselves in better positions with more options?

I think this starts with using systems instead of goals.

After that, seek to put yourself in win-win situations.

Go ahead and try it in a small way.

Or drop out of school and see how many options you have.

Better yet, get a degree in mechanical engineering and a law degree – and see what happens.

To separate yourself from such a crowd, you need to get rid of a common misconception: the essence of strategy is not to carry out a brilliant plan that proceeds in steps; it is to put yourself in situations where you have more options than the enemy does. Instead of grasping at Option A as the single right answer, true strategy is positioning yourself to be able to do A, B, or C depending on the circumstances. That is strategic depth of thinking, as opposed to formulaic thinking.

-Robert Greene, The 33 Strategies Of War

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Filed Under: PotpourriTagged With: #Choices, #Strategy

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