Starting a Business? Rant #1 - Of Donkeys, Decisions and Information Overload

Imagine a donkey, comfortable in his stable, starting to feel hungry. There are two appetising piles of hay just a few feet away. One pile is to the left, one to the right, neither pile is closer than the other. They both contain exactly the same amount of hay, are both equally nourishing and equally tasty.

Which bowl of hay should the donkey eat and why?

This question (a slightly modified version of Buridan's Ass) has perplexed philosophers for millennia, but it is a useful fable regarding indecision. If the donkey cannot find a reason to choose one pile over the other (and there is no rational reason why one should be preferred), then the animal will starve to death.

Sometimes you have to stop weighing up the options and make a move. How would a baby ever learn to walk without taking a step?

A recent neuroscience experiment into the speed of thought has measured the time taken for a monkey to recognise a picture at around 0.03 seconds. The time taken for human beings to make a decision is far quicker than this. However, we delay in acting upon this decision because the conscious mind suffers with doubt.

Have you ever had someone ask you for your opinion, but it is obvious they are just looking for confirmation of theirs? People will seek out approval for their choices, but most likely take the action they have decided upon regardless of your advice.

If they have made their decision, why are they wasting time asking you? The doubts in our conscious mind convince us that we are not ready, and we require more information before acting on any decisions. Are you guilty of this?

Why are you reading an internet marketing forum if you aren't going to succeed in internet marketing?

Do you find yourself continually looking for new methods, strategies and tips? Are you really improving your chance of success? The truth is you are only listening to that little nervous voice in your head. You know the one I mean, it's the one that says:

"This'll never work... You can't do that... What if it all goes wrong?"

This voice has you searching for more information, attempting to delay the inevitable negative emotions when your latest venture fails as it always expected.

Procrastination is effectively cancellation.

Don't listen to that silly little nuisance. It is not the voice of a wise old sage, advising you of imminent catastrophe, it's an infantile child frightened of the dark. It wants your to comfort it, to stay by it's bedside, not realising that you could easily walk to the doorway and turn the light on.

Whenever you find yourself continually researching and requesting more information - Stop!

You are about to set upon a journey. It's prudent to have a vague idea of where the path leads and be sure that's where you want to go. But it is not necessary to know how to overcome every obstruction you'll find on the way. Expect to encounter problems you never expected, difficulties you could never plan for, so stop trying to plan for them!

If the choice leads to where you want to go, then set your mind upon starting the journey. All the information you need to know now is how to take the next step - worry about the other issues later! Are there any obstacles preventing your progress? Fix those (and only those) then move on!

But what if you make a mistake or have a set back? Great! There is an old joke:


Yes, I can hear you groan as I type (it's about to get worse), but consider how a wonkey would cope with the two piles of hay? It would definitely lean towards one pile!

So stop looking for more information. Choose one of the piles of hay, you'll really enjoy the satisfying taste, so what if the other may be better, this one is good enough for now. Are you hungry?

Get enough information to take a step. Then take it.

Go on, get moving!