{"id":542,"date":"2026-02-26T13:16:03","date_gmt":"2026-02-26T12:16:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextlevelleadership.hu\/?p=542"},"modified":"2026-04-17T14:27:29","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T12:27:29","slug":"the-optimal-choice-why-it-is-not-the-perfect-decision-that-makes-you-happy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextlevelleadership.hu\/en\/optimalis-valasztas-miert-nem-a-tokeletes-dontes-tesz-boldogga\/","title":{"rendered":"The optimal choice \u2013 Why it is not the perfect decision that makes you happy"},"content":{"rendered":"

I first heard about Barry Schwartz and his TED talk, The Paradox of Choice<\/a>, from an acquaintance. I watched it that very evening, and as both a leader and a coach, I was surprised to recognize so many aspects of my experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Schwartz poses a simple yet unsettling question: why do more options often make you feel worse?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Too many choices, too little peace of mind<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Your daily life is filled with decisions. Where shall you go on holiday? What shall you have for lunch? Which school or extracurricular activity should you choose for your child? Which film shall you watch this evening? Where should you work, where should you live, which task should you start with, and which solution should you choose for a problem?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some decisions carry more weight than others, but they all share one thing: you must constantly choose.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The greater the perceived stakes, the more final the consequences seem and the more options you have, the harder it becomes to decide. And even once you have made a decision, you often do not feel satisfied. The question lingers in your mind: \u2019What if I had made another decision?\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The paradox of choice<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Barry Schwartz calls this the paradox of choice:<\/strong> the more options available to you, the greater the likelihood that you will ultimately feel less satisfied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An abundance of options does not liberate you. It paralyses you. It does not reassure you. It creates anxiety. It does not make you happier. It leaves you with doubt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How then can you make sound decisions?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If you accept this, the question follows: how can you live in a balanced way and make good decisions in your life and at work?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps by letting go of the desire for the perfect decision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not the perfect, but the optimal<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The solution is not to search relentlessly for the \u2019absolute best\u2019 option; it is to aim for an optimal one.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This means making a decision based on:<\/p>\n\n\n\n