Over the last couple months I have been in the process of trying to make a big life decision. Being the analyzer that I am, I think and think and think about it, mulling over all of the possible ways that this decision could play out. When I stopped and reflected on my analyzing, I realized that when I analyze I tend to lean toward the worst-case scenarios. It’s what I was trained to do when I critically think about something – what are all of the ways that this might not work out. While this might have helped me in my career (after all, this pretty much defines what it means to work in Knowledge Management), it doesn’t serve me quite well in life, as we have no idea of knowing what consequences might come out of our life decisions.
“Unintended consequences are outcomes that are not the outcomes intended by a particular action. The unintended outcomes may be positive or negative. The concept has long existed but was named and popularized in the 20th century by the American sociologist, Robert K. Merton. The law of unintended consequences is an adage or idiomatic warning that an intervention in a complex system always creates unanticipated and often undesirable outcomes. Akin to Murphy’s Law, it is commonly used as a wry or humorous warning against the hubristic belief that humans can fully control the world around them.”
In the end – we can’t control the world around us and we have no way of knowing what might come of a decision that we make. Sometimes we sit so long in the negative outcome of a decision or life event that we fail to see how it might actually bring something better into our lives. At what point do we have to let go of the guessing of what consequences might await us and trust that no matter what they are – positive or negative – they will move us forward and teach us something. I’m working to embrace the law of unintended consequences, as they are my learning. I’m taking some time to think back on decisions that I made, and outcomes that came from them that I NEVER expected. I believe that the more open we are to unintended consequences, the more we open ourselves up to a true flow in our lives.
What is a consequence that came out of a decision that you made that you never had expected?
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