Recognizing Life’s Flowchart

Life is a series of choices. We can map out our days in a series of flow charts at decision points and the actual decisions. The more skill sets you have, the more options present themselves. The better versed you are in these options, the easier they are to decide on (not necessarily use). The deeper your skills are within a specific set, the more specific aspect of that skill can be called on. Sometimes, a broader range of skill sets provides options before you reach a critical decision point that you may not be aware of. My threat analysis helps me avoid low-effort confrontations (which removes the need to potentially use force) – this sometimes starts with where I park and my approach on foot to a destination.

Recent training and discussions have effectively highlighted this flowchart concept. We all live in fluid environments that are unpredictable. The best we can do is determine where to invest our time and energy. The reality is, as humans, we tend not to overly specialize like insects. We can focus on multiple facets to find more universal, better options when making decisions in various situations.

You can attempt to use skills or options you have not yet developed in the moment, but the odds are that it will not work in your favor. Expanding viable options for usability is a worthy task. Knowing them, practicing them, and understanding how and when they fit into decision-making can lead to success. All this being said, you can have the most refined skill sets for a given problem and still fall down an elevator shaft.