Take it.

So I'm not one to make rash decisions. Actually, to be honest, I'm not one to make decisions at all. Making decisions for me takes very, very careful planning. A mental (if not a physical) list of pros and cons (well researched, of course), input from friends and family (which I still may question), a careful, slow, narrowing down of the list of options and then a battle to the death between the last two possible routes. It's not that I am a bad decision maker, really I would call myself a good one; it’s just that in my mind, any decision making takes time, a little Google search, the works.

As careful and good I am at making decision (pro), there still one setback (con), because all this listing and deliberating heavily limits my spontaneity and willingness to take chances.

There are things that I choose not to do, not just because it didn’t make it through my decision making process, but because of fear. That, “you’ll make a fool of yourself”, the “you’re too old for this”, or “you want to be that person?” will not always, but often outweigh the positives of my list. So really, the only thing challenging opportunity, is fear.

Those who know me find it very surprising to know that I used to be very shy. I was the six, seven, eight year old girl who would get so excited to go to the community pool in her new, hot pink paisley one-piece, ready to take on uncharted waters with her bright green noodle, googles, and arm bands….(a girl’s got to float, you know?). And then the second another stupid, rude kid decides to take one of my noodles, it’s a done deal. Too shy to demand back my life support, I would spend the next hour sulking in the weak, plastic chairs as my dad looked on refusing to get my noodle back for me because, according to him, that was on me.

So whether it was getting back my stolen swim gear, signing up for dance (which never happened), or going out for a run (rarely occurs), fear of looking like a fool and slow, mental debate becomes a handicap.

But it’s not just the six, seven, eight, nineteen year old me. It’s everyone.

So maybe we should make more rash decisions, be more spontaneous, and do the foolish so we can take on more opportunities (and get back our noodles). As Tina Fey puts it, “Say YES and you’ll figure it out afterwards.” Like this guy here, not just saying “yes” but "YES". 

"Do you mind if I-"

"Take it."

It may appear to be a small decision to agree to a simple picture. But it’s a step forward. And that, in my book, is definitely a pro.