Always Waiting for the Best Option Is Holding You Back. Here's Why. If you know what you want, then the solution is simple — make the determination and stick to it.
By Clinton Sparks Edited by Mark Klekas
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
In negotiations and in life, people worry too much about a better opportunity that could come later if they were to make a decision now. But as we know, times change, needs change, markets change, trends change, and people change.
What may be amazing now may not be six months from now. You know, like my True Religion jeans or my Affliction shirts from 2009. But if I worried about whether they would matter six months from when I bought them, I would burden myself with the stress of deciding based on what may be best later, as opposed to what is best now.
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I've helped create multi-million dollar companies and worked with some of the biggest names in music and entertainment. One thing I've seen happen over and over to aspiring entrepreneurs and professionals is them making the mistake of letting the weight of regret impact their choices — and delaying them significantly.
My advice is to only worry about what is best now. Sure, a different opportunity could come up, but so could worse circumstances that will leave you regretting your indecision.
A boat sounds a lot better than a life jacket. But when you're stuck in the middle of the ocean drowning, and you have the option of a life jacket, you aren't waiting around to see if a boat comes by later.
You'd be dead. The life jacket is what matters and makes sense for you right now!
So many people lose out on great opportunities because they are holding out for a "maybe better" opportunity. Sure, some will say, "Good thing I stood my ground, I got more money." Or something like, "I'm so brilliant for waiting this out." Yes, they were fortunate enough to get a more favorable outcome by doing so, but there are two things to consider here:
- Everything works out in the end. If it didn't work out, then it's not the end. And who knows what could have happened had it gone the other way? You'll never know, especially if it's only money that you consider a win.
- Far too many people wish they had chosen the option available to them when they had the chance.
Imagine if there was no end zone in football — you just got the ball and kept running. If there is no definite end or desired outcome, you will always wonder if you could have run more, scored more, or even be unsure of your value because there's no way to define your success. You wouldn't be able to define the result that would help you determine if you were successful.
By making a decision now and capitalizing on what's in front of you, you allow yourself to define your success. Don't try to wait for something better because you'll get stuck with inaction.
When Facebook went public, and I had IPO shares, I sold them and made $10,000. Of course I wonder what they would be worth now if I had held onto them. But it doesn't matter.
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I needed the money it provided me then, and it was a great opportunity that was extremely useful at that moment. I decided to cash out at $10,000 and used that money to fuel a different business opportunity that made me more money than if I had held on to the shares (which, at the time, there was no guarantee that the Facebook IPO shares were going to be worth more in the future).
This concept equally applies to negotiations with others.
So many times, I've heard someone get what they asked for and then say, "That was too easy — I could have totally got more out of this." Now, they are hung up on the maybe, as opposed to celebrating the exact win they desired.
I'm not saying undervalue yourself; just don't overvalue yourself or play stubborn as a negotiation tactic. There is no greater feeling than knowing that you don't need to hustle or play games. Build the value, appropriately estimate it, and deliver an honest pitch. Know what you want, and work to achieve exactly that.
In negotiations, it's easy to focus too much on the potential — the squeeze. Don't let indecision or the idea of getting a better deal stop you from acting now. Everyone wants more. They suffer from the woulda-coulda-shoulda syndrome. This will happen with many things in your life, such as dating, entrepreneurship, career changes, selling, etc.
When you know what you want, understand how to convey this value to others, get what it is you want — you've won. And trust me, you will feel so much more stress-free, confident and calm.
You won't have to stress over decisions because you've already made the decision on what you'll accept or are willing to accept. A win is a win, and if it makes sense, don't worry about whether it will make sense later. Worry about real things when real things actually need to be worried about.
And since everyone loves a baseball analogy, remember that even if you strike out, life isn't just one at-bat. You can lose 50 percent of the time and still win a World Series. Go, Sox!
Clinton Sparks is an Entrepreneur+ contributor. You can find more of his content and exclusive insights here.
