Making a big decision Dont forget to ask this question

Making a big decision Dont forget to ask this questionMaking a big decision Dont forget to ask this questionFor several years, Ive asked myself the same question before making an important decisionWhats the worst that can happen? (And no, this isnt the question I mentioned in the title of this post. Well get to that in a minute).The worst that can happen question is an important one. When Im about to make a big decision, I tend to dream up nightmarish scenarios. I know Im not alone here When we face the prospect of uncertainty- whether its buying a new house or quitting yur corporate job to become an entrepreneur- we tell ourselves that life as we know it will be over if things dont work out as planned. We assume well go broke, become a laughing stock, and lose all of our friends.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreWriting down these worst-case scenarios has the strange effect of ta king their power away. Named must your fear be, as Yoda said, before banish it you can. When I do this exercise, I realize the sky isnt going to fall. The things that matter the fruchtwein to me will still be there regardless of what happens.But heres where I run into trouble My imagination can bereallypowerful when it comes to spinning negative tales about the future. My negative mind, as Elizabeth Gilbertwrites, is like a mall cop who thinks hes a Navy SEAL He hasnt slept in days, hes all hopped up on Red Bull, and hes liable to shoot at his own shadow in an absurd effort to keep everyone safe.Our negative thoughts resonate far more strongly than positive ones. The brain, to paraphrase Rick Hanson, is like Velcro for the negative but Teflon for the positive. Were wired to notice and exaggerate negative inputs The rattling in the dark, the smell of gas, the sight of smoke, the screeching of tires. Our pupils dilate, our heart starts pumping faster, and adrenaline is released.This n egativity bias makes evolutionary sense. If our ancestors ignored a potential positive outcome, they might have missed out on the spoils of a hunt, but at least they could survive to pass their genes onto their offspring. But if they ignored a potential negative- if they assumed that rustling in the bushes was a prey instead of a predator- they may have ended up as lunch.Because were wired to hone in on the potential downsides when making a decision, the playing field is rigged toward inaction. We stay the course, we play it safe, and we remain in our current state, however inferior it may be to other possibilities. The fear of missing out is nothing compared to the fear of a decision gone wrong.As a result, its not enough to ask,Whats the worst that can happen?To balance the scales, we also have to ask,Whats the best that can happen?Heres the thing Our decisions rarely produce a mushroom cloud. Taking a leap of faith can lead to joy, discovery, and the fulfillment of your full pote ntial. It can mean getting elected mayor, finding your life partner, or starting the next Netflix.This isnt blind optimism or a naive belief in the power of starry-eyed dreams. Unless you consider the best-case scenario along with the worst, your neolithic brain will steer you toward the seemingly safest path- inaction.Asking the best that can happen question has another upside It can push you to expand your boundaries. You might go for a PhD instead of a Masters. You might decide to launch your own business instead of answering to somebody else. You might decide tobuild your own rockets, instead of buying them from Russia.The next time youre about to make a decision, dont forget to ponder the best-case scenario. And remember the Chinese proverb Many a false step was made by standing still.Ozan Varol is a rocket scientist turned law professor and bestselling author.Click hereto download a free copy of his e-book, The Contrarian Handbook 8 Principles for Innovating Your Thinking. Alo ng with your free e-book, youll get the Weekly Contrarian - a newsletter that challenges conventional wisdom and changes the way we look at the world (plus access to exclusive content for subscribers only).This article originally appeared on Ozan Varol.You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from Benjamin Franklins daily schedule that will double your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people