How I make decisions when I’m scared
How I Make Decisions When I’m Scared
You might not guess this about me, but I have always been a fearful person. As a kid I was afraid of everything - soccer balls, creatures in the water, creatures under my bed, public speaking, … life was full of hazards.
When I started to "adult" in my adventurous hometown, I slowly gained exposure to "scary" things - whitewater kayaking, skiing, hiking alone, mountain biking, climbing mountains, snakes (ugh), etc.
Instead of viewing situations as “safe” or “unsafe”, I started to develop risk literacy - a deeper understanding of the hazards involved, and what I needed to do to mitigate them.
I learned risk literacy in the backcountry, but have applied the basic framework to most of the decisions I make in life.
Here are the frameworks:
1. Probability & Consequence:
List all the potential hazards (or in the case of a job search, maybe this is “trade offs”).
Give each a probability ranking of 1-3, and a consequence ranking of a-c.
Now you know what the actual hazards are, which ones are most likely to happen, and which ones are most consequential. Plan accordingly.
2. Best case scenario, worst case scenario, most realistic scenario
You know those situations where you feel a little "AHHHHH" and haven't stopped to logically assess what's happening? This is a great mid-play hack.
Ask yourself: "What's the best case scenario?"
Then: "What's the worst case scenario?"
Followed by: "What's the most realistic scenario?"
And most importantly: "What can I do to make the best case scenario happen?"
Changing jobs is a path of decisions. Which industry do I want to work in? Am I prioritizing learning, earning, or impacting? Is this high salary worth the extra time I’ll spend at work and away from my family?
Many of my clients get stuck when it comes to making decisions that have trade offs. But here’s the thing: some of the best decisions we make for ourselves inherently come with trade offs.
Decisions are rarely binary. There’s rarely a right and wrong answer. The magic lies in getting savvy with the trade offs and consequences of those decisions.
I am still a fearful person. My life would be much easier if I weren’t, but by implementing these frameworks I’ve been able to build an extraordinary life that aligns with my values and aspirations.
I hope this helps you as much as it’s helped me.
Special thanks to Celine Jaccard for teaching me Framework #1 when we kite skied across Greenland, and to Melanie McCloskey for teaching me the 2nd when I was breaking into the Antarctic industry.
