Is this the right decision? I ask the question often to myself. Even if I know I cannot know if the decision is the right one at the current moment without the clairvoyance of what it will lead to in the future. It’s still a kind of fear I have with each decision. The fear of making the wrong decision. A mistake.

Enough reading of the Stoics and great investors leads to further self talk about how I can only make the decision given the facts I have and much of what happens in the future is out of my control, hence to let such worries go. Ah, but I am human and unlike some, I do not wish for the cold objectivity of machines. The fight between chaos and order in my mind keeps life interesting after all.

The simple answer is that one cannot know for sure if a decision is right or wrong. But I think many, like me, obsess over making the right decisions. I think this transcends into the realm of what others consider “good judgment” and the best are awarded handsomely for their ability to repeatedly deploy good judgment (a-la Buffett). This is not a new idea, Naval Ravikant’s podcasts have influenced me heavily on this.

But why is it so important to make the right decision? For the result? Because making the right decision is the difference between making an investment that leads to glory success etc… while the wrong one leads to ruin?

To reframe, is making a good decision important because of what it could result in? What you could gain and lose from it? Whether it’s making a career switch, what to study, who to enter a relationship with, what to invest in, what business strategy to pursue, etc… All questions of great importance indeed.

Some of the decisions mentioned previously require financial capital, some emotional capital, some human capital, some the effort of will….and most a mix of all kinds of resources.

But every decision equally requires the investment of time. Something one cannot get back. To choose A over B means that time will pass by with the options one has selected. This also means that time will pass by where the other option was not selected. Opportunity cost is everywhere and that is probably why this concept is so important.

Time invested in something means time not invested in something else. I think this is why we are obsessed with making the right decision. Whether we realize it or not, I think we are all concerned with making the best use of our limited time. I think that’s the only reason comparing ages outside of the medical world really boils down to. It’s like keeping score with how we’ve used time.

As I think about it, decisions are ultimately an ROI on time.