THE POWER OF DECISION-MAKING | BENEDIKT AHLFELD | TEDxGraz

Summary

The speaker emphasizes the importance of decision-making in shaping one's life, asserting that it's the greatest gift besides birth. They discuss the impact of decision traps such as stimulus overflow, permanent stress, and perfectionism on our ability to make choices. Top decision-makers are highlighted for their self-awareness, self-management, and action-oriented approach. The talk concludes with advice to train the brain under stress, avoid seeking perfection, and make decisions with available information, encouraging listeners to make significant life choices.

Takeaways

• 😀 The freedom to choose is considered the greatest gift and force influencing our lives.
• 🧠 Our brain is a toolbox, but many people don't know how to use it effectively for decision-making.
• 🤔 Top decision-makers know their identity, values, and goals, which guide their choices and actions.
• 💡 Success is often the result of making decisions and implementing them, not just chance.
• 🕳 There are three main decision traps: stimulus overflow, permanent stress, and perfectionism.
• 📉 Stimulus overflow occurs when too many options paralyze the decision-making process.
• 🔥 Permanent stress can lead to falling back on old habits, even when they're no longer effective.
• 🔍 Perfectionism can prevent action; top decision-makers make decisions with about 80% of necessary information.
• 🏋️‍♂️ Training the brain under stress involves stepping out of the comfort zone and adapting to new situations.
• 🚀 To make better decisions, narrow down choices, manage emotions under stress, and avoid the pursuit of perfection.

Q & A

What does the speaker consider the greatest gift besides being born?

The speaker considers the power of decision-making, or the freedom to choose, as the greatest gift besides being born.

According to Dwight D Eisenhower, how is the history of free men written?

Dwight D Eisenhower stated that the history of free men is never written by chance but by choice.

What phenomenon causes people to delay making decisions, even small ones?

The phenomenon that causes people to delay making decisions, even small ones, is called procrastination.

What is the term for the challenge faced when there are too many options, causing paralysis in decision-making?

The term for the challenge faced when there are too many options, causing paralysis in decision-making, is 'stimulus overflow' or 'the monster Choice dilemma'.

How does the speaker describe the impact of permanent stress on decision-making?

The speaker describes permanent stress as a decision trap that can cause people to fall back on old habits, which may not be effective in new situations.

What advice does the speaker give to avoid falling into the decision trap of perfectionism?

The speaker advises that top decision-makers don't seek perfectionism; instead, they make decisions when they feel confident they have about 80% of the necessary information.

How does the speaker suggest changing habits and coping with stress?

The speaker suggests changing habits and coping with stress by constantly leaving the comfort zone, trying new things, and training the brain under stress.

What is the role of the thalamus in the brain during decision-making, as described in the script?

The thalamus acts as a watchdog in the brain, processing new information to the frontal cortex for decision-making when a person is relaxed. However, under stress, it can be overwhelmed, leading to the amygdala taking over to prevent perceived danger.

What is the significance of the speaker's exercise with hands and thumbs?

The exercise with hands and thumbs is used to demonstrate the concept of habits and the comfort zone. Changing the position of the thumbs feels awkward because it moves outside of one's habitual comfort zone.

What message does the speaker convey in the conclusion of the talk?

In the conclusion, the speaker conveys the message that while we did not decide to be born, we can decide if our life is of significance, encouraging the audience to make impactful decisions.

Outlines

00:00

😀 The Power of Decision Making

The speaker emphasizes the power of decision-making as the greatest gift, asserting that our lives are shaped by the choices we make rather than by our genes or education. They quote Dwight D. Eisenhower to highlight that history is made by choices. The speaker engages the audience by asking about decisions that have made them happy or earned them money, and acknowledges that many decisions, especially big ones, are often postponed due to procrastination. The talk aims to address decision traps and how to avoid them, starting with understanding how our brain works as a toolbox that most people don't know how to use effectively.

05:02

🤔 Decision Traps and the 'Monster Choice' Dilemma

The speaker discusses three main decision traps: stimulus overflow, where an overwhelming number of options paralyzes the decision-making process; permanent stress, which leads to falling back on old habits that may not be effective in new situations; and perfectionism, which prevents action. The speaker uses the example of Generation Y being unsure of what to study or do in life due to the vast array of choices, illustrating the 'Monster Choice' dilemma. They also mention that top decision-makers avoid these traps by not seeking perfection, making decisions with around 80% of necessary information, and managing their emotions and habits effectively.

10:03

🧠 Understanding the Brain's Response to Stress

The speaker explores how the brain reacts under stress, explaining the role of the thalamus as a 'watchdog' that processes information to the frontal cortex for rational decision-making. However, under stress, the thalamus is overwhelmed by cortisol, causing the amygdala to take over in an attempt to prevent danger. This ancient response, once useful for escaping physical threats, is now triggered by everyday stressors, leading to poor decision-making. The speaker suggests training the brain under stress by stepping out of one's comfort zone and changing habits to improve decision-making even under high cortisol levels.

15:03

💪 Overcoming Decision Traps and Living a Significant Life

The speaker concludes by summarizing the three decision traps and strategies to overcome them: narrowing down choices to manageable amounts, managing stress through emotional state training and stepping out of the comfort zone, and avoiding perfectionism by making decisions with sufficient but not excessive information. They encourage the audience to take charge of their lives by making significant decisions, emphasizing that while we cannot choose our birth, we can choose to live a life of significance.

Keywords

💡Freedom to Choose

The 'Freedom to Choose' is the central theme of the video, emphasizing the power individuals have to make decisions that shape their lives. It is presented as the greatest gift beyond birth, suggesting that one's life is not predetermined by genes or education but by the choices one makes. The video speaker uses this concept to inspire listeners to recognize their agency in life, as seen in the quote by Dwight D. Eisenhower, highlighting that history is made by choices, not by chance.

💡Decision Making

Decision Making is a key concept in the video, referring to the process of making choices that lead to outcomes in one's life. The speaker argues that success is a result of decisions, and the video explores how individuals can avoid common decision traps to make better choices. The script mentions how most people make around 20,000 decisions daily, many of which are unconscious, and the video aims to provide strategies to improve conscious decision-making.

💡Procrastination

Procrastination is identified as a 'phenomenon' that prevents people from making important decisions. The video suggests that this behavior is a common obstacle to action, where individuals delay decisions, often leading to inaction. The speaker uses the term to describe a common decision trap and encourages the audience to confront this behavior to take control of their lives.

💡Self-Determination

Self-Determination is discussed as a crucial aspect of top decision-makers. It involves knowing one's identity, desires, and the path to achieve them. The video emphasizes that successful individuals set their own standards and make decisions based on their values. An example given is Gustaf Sandström, who chose not to salute Hitler, illustrating the importance of self-determination even in the face of societal pressure.

💡Emotional State Management

Emotional State Management is mentioned as a key skill for effective decision-making, especially under stress. The video suggests that top decision-makers are adept at managing their emotions, which allows them to make rational choices even in challenging situations. This concept is tied to the idea that emotions can significantly impact the decision-making process, and managing them is essential for avoiding poor decisions.

💡Stress

Stress is presented as a significant decision trap that can lead individuals to fall back on old habits, which may not be effective in new situations. The video explains how stress can trigger a 'fight or flight' response, which was evolutionarily advantageous but can hinder decision-making in modern contexts. The speaker encourages the audience to train their brains under stress to make better decisions.

💡Habits

Habits are discussed in the context of decision-making, where they can either support or hinder effective choices. The video describes how habits are formed through repetition and can become automatic responses to situations. However, the speaker also notes that under stress, people may revert to old habits that are no longer effective, which is a challenge that needs to be addressed.

💡Comfort Zone

The Comfort Zone is mentioned as a state of minimal stress where individuals perform routine actions without much thought. The video suggests that leaving this zone is necessary for growth and improved decision-making. The speaker uses the example of changing the position of one's thumbs when clapping to illustrate how stepping out of the comfort zone can initially feel awkward but is essential for development.

💡Perfectionism

Perfectionism is identified as a decision trap that can prevent action. The video quotes Stephen Covey, stating that 'Perfection prevents action,' suggesting that the pursuit of perfect decisions can lead to indecision and missed opportunities. Top decision-makers, according to the video, make decisions with approximately 80% of the necessary information and are willing to adjust as they implement their decisions.

💡Top Decision Makers

Top Decision Makers are used as a reference point throughout the video to illustrate effective decision-making strategies. These individuals are characterized by their self-awareness, self-management, and the ability to implement decisions despite imperfect information. The video aims to impart lessons from these successful individuals to inspire the audience to improve their own decision-making processes.

Highlights

The freedom to choose is the greatest influence on our lives and resonates the most with our souls.

You are not the product of your genes or education, but the result of your decisions.

Dwight D. Eisenhower emphasized that history is made by choice, not by chance.

Success is the result of making decisions, not just circumstances.

Decision-making is a daily activity, with around 20,000 decisions made, most unconsciously.

Procrastination is a common phenomenon when it comes to making big decisions.

Our brain is a toolbox, but many people don't know how to use it effectively.

Making no decision is still a decision, as it allows others to decide for you.

Top decision-makers know who they are, what they want, and how to get it based on their values.

Self-management, especially of emotions, is crucial for effective decision-making.

Implementing decisions in daily life is a key difference in top decision-makers.

The freedom to choose is a prerequisite for self-determination, as illustrated by Gustaf Sandström's story.

The 'monster Choice dilemma' is caused by an overwhelming number of options, leading to decision paralysis.

Generation Y faces the challenge of choosing from too many options, leading to indecision.

Three decision traps are identified: stimulus overflow, permanent stress, and perfectionism.

Top decision-makers avoid seeking perfection, making decisions with about 80% of necessary information.

Under stress, humans tend to revert to old habits, which may not be effective in new situations.

Changing habits takes time, and it's important to consistently practice new behaviors to establish them.

The brain under stress reacts differently, with the amygdala taking over decision-making from the prefrontal cortex.

Top decision-makers train their brain under stress by stepping out of their comfort zone.

To make great decisions, narrow down choices to the top seven chunks of information.

Manage your emotional state and train your brain under stress by leaving your comfort zone.

Decision-makers should implement decisions and take action, even if they're not perfect.

The message to decide if your life is of significance and to make your decision.

Transcripts

[Music]

if you were to ask

me

what

topic what force has the greatest

influence on

us what resonates the most with our

souls I'd answer without

hesitation it is the freedom to

choose besides being

born the power of decision making is the

greatest

gift just think about

it you are not the product of your genes

or of your

education you are the result of your

decisions Dwight D Eisenhower said

the history of free man is never written

by chance but by choice there

choice so yes life is about making

decisions and success is the result of a

decision but have you ever and please

raise your hands if yes have you ever

made a decision that you got Happy from

that made you happy who made a decision

in his life that made him happy look

around guys I see someone not raising

their hands either you're asleep

or I feel bad for you all right has

anyone ever made a decision whereby you

earned lots of money who made a decision

that got you a lot of money good for you

tell me your secret all right anyone

made the decision that cost you a lot of

money where you lost lots of money or

that's more people all right we'll talk

about that just in a bit so when it

comes to relationships have you ever

made the decision to go into a past okay

a former relation ship that you'd like

to

forget who's being honest all right all

right and now just between you and me

anyone in a current relationship you'd

like to forget sometimes all right yeah

yeah don't wor you see it's not that

easy to make decisions um actually

there's plenty of them about 20,000

decisions every day most of them with

lightning speed and

unconsciously and the big decisions in

life we adjourn them where are the

deadline

chunkies yeah right you're not alone

guys the phenomenon is called

procrastination so most likely if you

adjourned one of the big decisions even

small ones one out of three decision

traps might be the reason from

preventing you to take action in this

talk I'm going to talk about how you can

prevent those decision traps but let's

start with our brain think about it your

brain I mean it's a toolbox right only

issue is most people don't really know

how to use it Evolution right prepared

us for 4 million

years and what do most people do with it

they watch Judge Baba rales or Dr Phil

all the time all day long I know it's

sad but it's the truth right

so what you got to do is you must take

responsibility for your own

brain and make no mistake guys making no

decision is still a decision it means

you're allowing somebody else to make

the decision for you in the past 10

years I've been honored by working with

top decision makers and I learned from

them some stuff and I'd like to share it

with you today so what actually is it

that top decision makers do differently

well first off they know what they are

who they are what they want and how to

get it they set their own standard right

so actually they make decisions based on

their own values and they are

self-determined

second they have their self-management

in order especially when it comes to

their emotions and I'm not talking about

people who are robots I'm talking about

emotional state

management third they really do make

decisions right but even more important

is they need and they do Implement those

decisions in their daily life in their

businesses and I'm not talking about

exaggeration like this pretty fellow

here no actually I'm talking about

advocating your convictions standing by

what you feel is right so not so long

ago in Nazi Germany when Adolf Hitler

theur came up to a public event you were

legally bound to salute for him and to

the Hitler

G on this picture there's a man Gustaf

vard and he did not

you see the prerequisite for

self-determination is the freedom to

choose he did not have that freedom

actually he was imprisoned

afterwards Unfortunately today we are

confronted with a vast majority of

options way too many it kind of is

exactly the opposite right in our

consumer Society maybe if you went to

Ikea chances are when you are the

cashier desk you got at least one

product more in your basket than you

originally planned to buy right I mean

it happens to everyone this phenomenon

is called an irrational buying decision

and actually this is caused by the

stimulus overflow by way too many

options it just paralyzes the brain in

the decision-making process I'd like to

call it the monster Choice

dilemma and just stay with me on this

one think about Generation Y there are

lots and lots of young adults today that

do not really know what to study what to

do with their lives

right and I

think it's not a surprise actually

because they know they could literally

do anything they

want but they still don't know what they

want why

because they have all the options

they're Paralyzed by the monster Choice

dilemma and that is actually our first

decision trap the first decision trap

out of three is the stimulus overflow

being confronted with way too many

possibilities and options just paralyzes

your brain neurophysiology

neurophysiologically in the

decision-making process I'm not a native

speaker surpris

second decision trap is the permanent

stress we live in where does permanent

stress come from today it's the high

performance pressure in business in

daily life even in the family even in

education kids are starting to get burn

out because of permanent

pressure and the third decision trap is

perfectionism and a great author St H he

wrote The Seven Habits of Highly

Effective People he said about

perfectionism Perfection

prevents action so what do top decision

makers actually do differently first of

all they don't seek perfectionism what

they do is if they feel confident that

they have 80% round about 80% of the

information necessary to make a decision

they just go for it they don't wait

hours days weeks months for the last 20%

to come around if they got the 80%

that's necessary makes them feel

confident they make the decision and

take action so that's what you got to do

next trap would be that under stress

humans tend to fall back to old habits

that's not a big problem at first but if

you think about it if we tend to fall

back on Old Habits even if in we're in a

new situation we might use a habit

that's not working anymore

today and then we right so how do those

habits develop before we dive into how

you can change them they do develop by

conditioning meaning if you're

confronted with the situation the first

time you're urged for a decision what

actions you got to take and then you

respond

accordingly and if the same situation

happens over and over again

this decision turns into a habit you

don't really have to think about it

anymore it just happens it's

automatic and that's good right that's

okay as long as it

works

but if you're confronted with changing

conditions and a new environment the old

habits might not work anymore and you

have to make a new

decision that would work unless you were

stressed because because under

stress we fall back on those old habits

that have proven themselves over time

even if they don't work

anymore before we do that and dive into

that what happens to the brain under

stress I'd like to invite you all to

test your own habits and just follow me

on this one put your hands together like

this just fingers crossed all the way

and have a look at your thumb which

thumb is on top left or right you can

even check with the partner sitting next

to you which thumb is on top left

right all right and now I want you to

switch the thumbs put the other one on

top and just for a moment see how it

feels how does it

feel it feels kind of awkward right

feels pretty strange why why does this

small thing feel so strange it's because

the way you do it first it's your habit

and you're used to that we call that the

comfort zone yeah what genus out here

started with that in the first place it

wasn't called The Comfort Zone in the

first place so now you changed it you

changed the Habit it feels uncomfortable

because you left your comfort zone we're

going to need that later on so according

to behavioral economy takes some quite

some time to change existing habit or

build up new ones for example round

about two months 66 days does it take in

the morning after you get out of bed and

you want to establish a new habit for

example drinking a glass of water

right after you get out of bed right

away drink a glass of water supposed to

be

healthy pretty easy doesn't take that

much time getting out of bed or maybe

rolling out of bed I don't know about

you guys and you have to do 50

sit-ups not so easy takes longer that's

pretty similar when it comes to

decision- making easy decisions we're

not really that stressed

about works the big difficult

decisions somebody's supposed maybe to

play in Jaws next time I do

this the big decisions we feel a lot

more stressed the funny thing is

intellectually it's just two decisions

there's no difference you just have to

make a decision in either ways but

emotions have a huge impact on the whole

decision-making process so that's what

we got to look at the brain under stress

so what happens to the brain under

stress in the center the green part is

the

tal it's not really green in real life

the green part the tal is kind of like a

Watch Dog and what it does is if you're

relaxed and happy and everything's fine

you're in your comfort zone and new

information comes in the talamos is

supposed to process that information to

the frontal cortex right here and that's

where you can make smart calm rational

good

decisions but under stress what happens

a lot of cortisol comes up it's a stress

hormone and it kind of blocks the

talamos he's unable to cope with all

that information coming in so he kind of

freaks

out and then there's help a Mikala steps

in she's like a little

diva don't photograph me on that one

like a little diva and aikala what does

she do actually she's trying to help AA

steps in she's trying to help you and

she does that by trying to prevent you

from danger dangerous situations just

think about it for a second yeah you

might be th000 2,000 10,000 years back

in a days you were walking through a

forest very nice weather and there would

be a sabl tooth tiger jumping out of the

forest and you would be like ah sablet

tooth tiger that's you in a calm

easygoing State no stress involved and

the talamos the watch do goes oh I see

aabl to Tiger forward that information

to the prefrontal cortex the prefrontal

cortex goes oh wow a sabl to Tiger never

SE seen that one before H how would it

maybe feel to pet it on the furry

head not such a good idea so that's

where the stress hormone kicks in the

Amika goes wait I saw that guy two days

ago he tried to pet it he got no hands

no head he dead so that's good right

that's good stress kicks in Amala goes

no run and you're

alive so Amala tries to prevent you from

danger and she does it by overriding

your system and that's a great escape

reflex actually problem is today if we

get stressed it's not so much because we

see a sable too tiger and we don't

really have the necessity to just run

away so how can we cope with that

because the same Escape reflex happens

if you're just under stress because your

boss puts up a big folder right in front

you and Des it goes Wham and you're like

what and he goes we have 30 minutes left

and you got a f fix this problem now and

you look in the folder the first page

and you know instantly you've never done

a task like this ever before and you get

pumped up you get stressed and you might

get blocked so that's a big issue how do

top decision makers cope with that

actually what they do is they train

their brain under stress and they do

that by leaving their comfort

zone they train to leave the comfort

zone where they feel comfortable and

Easy by starting out new stuff new

things constantly changing their habits

and looking for new ways to explore and

let's face it uh they a little crazy

about it too but they always want to

perform better and improve their own

habits so how do they do it actually and

Navy Seals do it as well Navy Seals they

have to make good decisions even if

somebody's shooting at them that's what

you should do actually train your brain

but good news is you don't have to be

shot at all right you can do it like

this just try out new stuff new things

yeah even small but constant changes in

your habits keeps the brain alert and

the cortisol level rises even in

everyday situations just because they're

new out of your comfort zone and your

brain gets used to that higher cortisol

level so just try out new hobbies try

new things and your brain learns to make

great decisions regardless of a high

cortisol level that's how to do

that all right now to sum that up for

you guys the first trap we had was the

stimulus overflow too many possibilities

too many choices if you don't know what

to study if you don't know what project

to start narrow it down to the top seven

maximum of seven chunks of information

that the talamos the Watchdog can cope

with everything above Seven's not good

so to make great decisions narrow it

down prioritize summarize to the top

seven chunks of information second the

permanent stress we just talked about

that no sablet tooth tigers involved

except maybe metal concerts I don't know

but a permanent stress how to cope with

that your own emotional state management

train your brain under stress by

constantly leaving the comfort zone and

the third trap was the perfectionism top

decision makers if they feel confident

they have about 80% of information

necessary to make the decision they just

do it and if there are pro problems or

errors on the way they fix them on the

way but they start implementing and they

take

action

to end my talk I have a message from my

heart for you goes like

this you did not decide to be

born but actually you can decide if your

life is of

significance so make your decision I

wish you great

[Applause]

[Music]

success