There’s Beauty in the Act of Decision-making. Here’s Why.

When I was in college, I dated a guy who was very smart and super funny. His comments were always interesting to hear and he loved to poke fun at everything, including himself. One day he was talking about a problem he was trying to solve, I don’t recall if it was about graduating from college and figuring out next steps or narrowing down a few options for finding a summer job so he could save up some money. He summarized his thoughts and actions into two sentences that have stuck with me over the years. They were a riff off of a famous quote attributed to Julius Caesar as he led his army across the Rubicon river into Italy, a decision that started a civil war.

He said:

The dice have been thrown (Alea iacta est). I’ll throw them again tomorrow.

In the original meaning of the phrase, throwing dice signifies making a decision in order to move forward. There’s an air of finality to it. Of course, it’s unlikely that Caesar made a quick decision to lead the troops onwards, but we can use this metaphor to think through the benefits of decision-making before, during, and after the act itself.

Before making a decision to take action, you acknowledge several steps you needed to make.