Call it a superstition, call it diving for assurance, or call it a mindless “what if” exercise many of us play with answers and decisions like we play with Eight Balls. It leads me to wonder, “How much of life is squandered by looking for answers so we can make decisions? Are we seizing up our brains trying to turn the gears on decisions when more detail and time are needed?”

I used to believe that life is pregnant and ready to pop with decision points. I’ve come to learn that most of life is ambiguous, murky, and not as full of absolutes as I once imagined. It is more like that inky, inner Eight Ball ocean. When we are more aware, we see that life consists primarily of spending time waiting for information to be gathered, clarity to crystallize, additional experience to be had, and meaning to be made than we usually admit. There is a palpable tension in the air when we want to know things that we can’t yet know. As a life strategist and business coach, I get caught in the middle sometimes with clients who ask me: “Should I hire this person? Should I fire this employee? What should I do now that this option has fallen through? When will I get this right?”

Sometimes I’m even afraid that these clients are tempted to shake me like they would an Eight Ball and force an answer from my mouth. They just want to know now!

I believe it is the wise among us that have learned that those decisions which do require us to be sure about our actions can be made with clarity and calmness. Peace and sureness can dictate how and when to take the best action we can. Time is an essential ingredient to making good choices. Why seize up our brains trying to turn the gears on a decision when more detail and time is needed?

I propose we set the Eight Balls and our fretting on a shelf somewhere. Watch them both collect a layer of dust. Be patient with the process of knowing and in that patient gathering, we just might find one of the healthiest practices we could ever adopt.