A bias for action

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"Before I retired I was a partner in a big public accounting firm in San Francisco. I remember a client CEO of a medium-sized bank trying to shake things up. The bank had been stodgy, family-run for 100 years. The new CEO wanted to streamline operations, offer new products, and compete more aggressively. To do these things, he told me, he planned to hire people with a bias for action. That phrase--a bias for action--stuck in my mind. I decided that's the way I wanted to live. Vicki and I talked it over and made it a rule. When we're indifferent, we choose the path that involves trying something new, taking a step, or shaking things up. We bias toward errors of commission rather than errors of omission.

Consider small things. If choosing from a menu between a favorite dish or something new, other things being equal, opt for something new. Can't decide whether the weekend trip is worth the hassle of driving out of town? Take the trip. If asked to take on a fund-raising drive--pros and cons, can't decide--take it on.

The rule also works for big things."
Paul TerhorstRoving “Retire Early” Editor, International Living