The Mayonnaise Sandwich Conundrum

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If you wanted to make a sandwich, it would be easy.

So long as you had some bread, and some stuff to put between the bread, you'd be OK.

On the other hand, if you had a whole bunch of stuff, and a whole bunch of different bread, it MIGHT be difficult.

If you were hungry but you didn't know what you wanted.

You might stare at all your bread.

Stare at all the stuff you could put between them.

On the other hand if you had an idea of what you wanted, it would be quick.

On the other hand, if you were hungry, knew what you wanted, but ALL you had was an empty jar of mayonnaise, you'd be in trouble.

No bread, no meat, nothing to eat.

You can think of anything in these simple terms.

With a strong choice, and plenty of options, getting what you want is easy.

With only a vague desire, and plenty of options, it's difficult.

Plenty of studies show that when we have too much choice, it's actually worse than having NO choice.

They give one group of kids a choice of two "prizes" to take home.

They give another group of kids no choice. 

They just give them a prize.

Turns out the kids that have NO choice are happier.

The ones that choose "prize A," for example, always second guess themselves.

Plenty of marketers have also found this out.

Pasta sauce makers, for example, have found that if they INCREASE the flavors too much, people buy LESS.

For choosing pasta sauce, the sweet spot is 2-4 choices.

Anything beyond 4 is too confusing.

Of course, the opposite isn't much better.

Of KNOWING what you want and having NO choice.

Obviously, the BEST situation would be to KNOW what you wanted, and to have PLENTY of different ways to satisfy that desire.

This goes way beyond sandwiches and pasta sauces.

Many people spend WAY too long wondering what they want to "be" when they "grow up."

Unfortunately, we don't have an UNLIMITED TIME to choose.

It only feels that way when we are young.

But the clock is always ticking.

The best situation is to have plenty of choices, plenty of time, and plenty of options.

And being able to have a LONG VIEW so you can choose not only for today, but WAY out into the future.

The better you can see how the future MIGHT unfold, the better you'll be able to choose.

Learn How:

http://mindpersuasion.com/long-game/