The Difference Between a Choice and a Decision

Our words are powerful. We can upset or excite an entire group of people solely based on the words we use….even if the message is the same! 

An example is the subtle difference between a making choice versus making a decision. Most people use these words interchangeably, but they are actually derived from opposing natures.

Choice is about the power of making a selection or an option. Decide, on the other hand, comes from the same root as genocide, herbicide, or insecticide, meaning literally "to cut off."

When you make a decision, you look at all of your options, weigh the pros and cons, eliminate options based on various factors, and then go with what remains.

When you make a choice, you look at all of your options and select the one you want the most. This method of selecting is a powerful one. YOU have made the choice, and no one else is responsible for your results.  

Let’s say you have been interviewing for jobs and you receive three offers on the same day. You look at all the logistics involved with each offer – commute expenses, compensation packages, possibility of upward mobility, characteristics of the supervisors, type of work, etc. Then, by process of elimination, you “cut off” two offers and  decide to accept the third. That is a decision. There is nothing inherently wrong with this process, however, it does not leave you in a powerful position. If it turns out you don’t like the job, you may feel you have all sorts of people and circumstances to blame. Some of you may wonder what’s wrong with that. Well, when you blame external factors, you are likely to become victim to those factors… and you cannot change them. However, if you take responsibility for the situation, you are then in the position of bettering it for yourself.

Choosing means you make your selection and move on. You will undoubtedly have good reasons for your choice, but at the end of the day you are choosing it powerfully because you want that option. This process puts all the power in your own hands.

Next time you are faced with options, pause and ask yourself if you are choosing or deciding. If you realize you are deciding, consider turning it into a choice so you own the power!