For years, I thought my husband was a little lazy.
It turns out he may have understood something I didn’t.
I’m a maximizer. I research every option. Compare every alternative. Look for the best decision, not just a good one.
My husband is what psychologists call a satisficer. When something is good enough, he chooses and moves on.
No endless comparison.
No wondering whether there was a slightly better option around the corner.
For a long time, I thought my way was more rigorous.
But research shows that maximizers are often less satisfied with our decisions – spending more time wondering about the alternatives and the paths we didn’t take.
Most of us are familiar with Robert Frost’s The Road Not Taken as a poem about choosing the road less traveled.
But the two roads were actually pretty much the same.
We can spend so much energy searching for the perfect path.
Joy is in fully walking the one you’re on.