Comments on: Give Me 3 Minutes and I’ll Make you a Better Decision Maker http://steve-olson.com/give-me-3-minutes-and-ill-make-you-a-better-decision-maker/ For People Pursuing Freedom Sun, 22 Aug 2010 03:04:40 -0700 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: Paul http://steve-olson.com/give-me-3-minutes-and-ill-make-you-a-better-decision-maker/comment-page-1/#comment-1327 Paul Mon, 31 Dec 2007 01:13:07 +0000 http://www.steve-olson.com/give-me-3-minutes-and-ill-make-you-a-better-decision-maker/#comment-1327 Kind of a silly article. I mean the thing about buying things you don't need because of your emotions is good, but buying something because it fits your emotional needs IS rational Kind of a silly article.
I mean the thing about buying things you don’t need because of your emotions is good, but buying something because it fits your emotional needs IS rational

]]> By: GBM http://steve-olson.com/give-me-3-minutes-and-ill-make-you-a-better-decision-maker/comment-page-1/#comment-1326 GBM Sat, 01 Sep 2007 23:56:17 +0000 http://www.steve-olson.com/give-me-3-minutes-and-ill-make-you-a-better-decision-maker/#comment-1326 I disagree with this one. Steve discounts rationality by pointing out that many of the reasons we buy certain things instead of others are emotional (although some of his criteria for a car were, I would say, entirely rational - Not only to ABS brakes make him feel safer, they make him actually safer, which is entirely rational) but he misses the idea that what we really want is to be happy with our purchase, and we can arrive at that happiness by making rational decisions about criteria that matter to us. Yes, at root, we are emotional, but we use rationality to reach emotional satisfaction. There isn't a problem with this; it's a sensible way of doing things. I disagree with this one. Steve discounts rationality by pointing out that many of the reasons we buy certain things instead of others are emotional (although some of his criteria for a car were, I would say, entirely rational – Not only to ABS brakes make him feel safer, they make him actually safer, which is entirely rational) but he misses the idea that what we really want is to be happy with our purchase, and we can arrive at that happiness by making rational decisions about criteria that matter to us. Yes, at root, we are emotional, but we use rationality to reach emotional satisfaction. There isn’t a problem with this; it’s a sensible way of doing things.

]]> By: Steve http://steve-olson.com/give-me-3-minutes-and-ill-make-you-a-better-decision-maker/comment-page-1/#comment-1325 Steve Wed, 14 Feb 2007 03:16:11 +0000 http://www.steve-olson.com/give-me-3-minutes-and-ill-make-you-a-better-decision-maker/#comment-1325 Mike, I am saying that their decision to work for someone else and relinquish the opportunity to buy a luxury car is entirely emotional. It’s the same with the choice for car reliability and insurance… The real question is why do you want a car. Some people have chosen not to buy a car, so I am saying your desire for any car is entirely emotional. If you didn’t own a car could you survive? Yes. Many people do not own a car, some are happy and others are not. So I am saying your desire to be rich is emotional, your desire for an expensive car is emotional, your desire for more time for your hobbies is emotional, your desire for more time with your family is emotional. You spend your life trying to find a place where you feel the best about who you are. That can be different for everybody. Some people couldn’t be happy without a Lexus and McMansion. Others are quite happy with an RV and no address and they have young children. Why don’t you live in an RV with your children? Probably because it would make you feel bad about yourself as a parent. So in order to make decisions that make your life better, you need to understand your desires and emotions. I’ve met people that have money and hate themselves. I’ve also met people that have no money and hate themselves. So in order to live life to its fullest, you need to do the things that make you feel good about yourself. Creating value for other people and spending time with my family make me feel good. I’ve lived without a car and I took public transit, and I hated it, so worked hard and bought a car. I feel good about the freedom it gave me. I felt cramped in my old house, so I worked hard and bought a bigger one. Get it???? Does this make sense???? In America almost everything we think we need is a luxury, so almost all decisions are emotional. The sooner you understand your emotions, the sooner you will find meaning in life. Mike,
I am saying that their decision to work for someone else and relinquish the opportunity to buy a luxury car is entirely emotional. It’s the same with the choice for car reliability and insurance… The real question is why do you want a car. Some people have chosen not to buy a car, so I am saying your desire for any car is entirely emotional. If you didn’t own a car could you survive? Yes. Many people do not own a car, some are happy and others are not. So I am saying your desire to be rich is emotional, your desire for an expensive car is emotional, your desire for more time for your hobbies is emotional, your desire for more time with your family is emotional. You spend your life trying to find a place where you feel the best about who you are. That can be different for everybody. Some people couldn’t be happy without a Lexus and McMansion. Others are quite happy with an RV and no address and they have young children. Why don’t you live in an RV with your children? Probably because it would make you feel bad about yourself as a parent.

So in order to make decisions that make your life better, you need to understand your desires and emotions. I’ve met people that have money and hate themselves. I’ve also met people that have no money and hate themselves. So in order to live life to its fullest, you need to do the things that make you feel good about yourself. Creating value for other people and spending time with my family make me feel good. I’ve lived without a car and I took public transit, and I hated it, so worked hard and bought a car. I feel good about the freedom it gave me. I felt cramped in my old house, so I worked hard and bought a bigger one.

Get it???? Does this make sense???? In America almost everything we think we need is a luxury, so almost all decisions are emotional.

The sooner you understand your emotions, the sooner you will find meaning in life.

]]> By: mike http://steve-olson.com/give-me-3-minutes-and-ill-make-you-a-better-decision-maker/comment-page-1/#comment-1324 mike Tue, 13 Feb 2007 22:24:36 +0000 http://www.steve-olson.com/give-me-3-minutes-and-ill-make-you-a-better-decision-maker/#comment-1324 I largely agree with this ethos that a greater input of emotion will better influence the decision made, however i think that reasoning and logic can't help but play a part in most peoples lives. Many people are happy enough to work for someone feeling the shift of resposibility from themselves leaves them more energy to concentrate on what is more important to their lives, ie:family, hobbies (note plural). Thus they wouldn't be able to become semi-hedonistic and buy the car that made them feel good, but they'd have to consider how reliable it was and how cheap it's insurance is; top of the practical list. So how would these sort of people benefit from your mode of thinking? I largely agree with this ethos that a greater input of emotion will better influence the decision made, however i think that reasoning and logic can’t help but play a part in most peoples lives. Many people are happy enough to work for someone feeling the shift of resposibility from themselves leaves them more energy to concentrate on what is more important to their lives, ie:family, hobbies (note plural). Thus they wouldn’t be able to become semi-hedonistic and buy the car that made them feel good, but they’d have to consider how reliable it was and how cheap it’s insurance is; top of the practical list. So how would these sort of people benefit from your mode of thinking?

]]> By: Steve http://steve-olson.com/give-me-3-minutes-and-ill-make-you-a-better-decision-maker/comment-page-1/#comment-1323 Steve Fri, 22 Dec 2006 20:09:45 +0000 http://www.steve-olson.com/give-me-3-minutes-and-ill-make-you-a-better-decision-maker/#comment-1323 Preston, I read this post again a few days after I posted it and realized I hadn't been clear. You aren't being obtuse. You are right. This is my point: If you go through life believing that you make only rational decisions you aren’t being honest with yourself. The sooner you realize that your buying decisions are almost purely emotional, the better you will be able to get what you desire from life and your decision-making will improve. Another point I was making isn’t in context today. A writer at Will’s blog on MSNBC said that he never bought a house or a car based on how it made him feel. I replied with this post by saying that not only do you buy the car and the house you bought because of how it made you feel, the only reason you desire a car and a house in the first place is because of how you feel. Billions of people live worldwide without owning a car or a house. I’m not saying it’s irrational to make yourself happy by buying something nice, I’m just asking the reader to recognize the reason they made the purchase… it makes them happy. Maybe it makes you feel smart. Maybe it makes you feel important or cool. Maybe it makes you feel safe. Nevertheless, almost all decisions are emotional. Most people, (especially men) don’t want to accept this, but it is true. Ask any marketing or sales expert, they will tell you the same thing. Thanks for your comment Preston,

I read this post again a few days after I posted it and realized I hadn’t been clear. You aren’t being obtuse. You are right.

This is my point:
If you go through life believing that you make only rational decisions you aren’t being honest with yourself. The sooner you realize that your buying decisions are almost purely emotional, the better you will be able to get what you desire from life and your decision-making will improve.

Another point I was making isn’t in context today. A writer at Will’s blog on MSNBC said that he never bought a house or a car based on how it made him feel. I replied with this post by saying that not only do you buy the car and the house you bought because of how it made you feel, the only reason you desire a car and a house in the first place is because of how you feel. Billions of people live worldwide without owning a car or a house. I’m not saying it’s irrational to make yourself happy by buying something nice, I’m just asking the reader to recognize the reason they made the purchase… it makes them happy. Maybe it makes you feel smart. Maybe it makes you feel important or cool. Maybe it makes you feel safe. Nevertheless, almost all decisions are emotional. Most people, (especially men) don’t want to accept this, but it is true. Ask any marketing or sales expert, they will tell you the same thing.

Thanks for your comment

]]> By: Preston Kent http://steve-olson.com/give-me-3-minutes-and-ill-make-you-a-better-decision-maker/comment-page-1/#comment-1322 Preston Kent Fri, 22 Dec 2006 18:51:34 +0000 http://www.steve-olson.com/give-me-3-minutes-and-ill-make-you-a-better-decision-maker/#comment-1322 Your article is entitled "Give Me 3 Minutes and I'll Make you a Better Decision Maker," and it is about how you follow a process for buying big-ticket items that entails listing out your requirements for the purchase, and finding an item that meets those requirements. You state that you thought the requirements were purely rational, and explained that after reflecting on them, you concluded that they were all emotional. When did you cover the advice that would make me a better decision maker? I don't mean to be obtuse; I get that you are trying to get me to recognize that emotion enters into my decision-making process to a large extent. Are you saying that that recognition alone will make me a better decision-maker? Should I make decisions based solely on non-emotional criteria? What about decisions where all of the criteria are emotional? What am I missing? Thanks, Preston Your article is entitled “Give Me 3 Minutes and I’ll Make you a Better Decision Maker,” and it is about how you follow a process for buying big-ticket items that entails listing out your requirements for the purchase, and finding an item that meets those requirements. You state that you thought the requirements were purely rational, and explained that after reflecting on them, you concluded that they were all emotional.

When did you cover the advice that would make me a better decision maker? I don’t mean to be obtuse; I get that you are trying to get me to recognize that emotion enters into my decision-making process to a large extent. Are you saying that that recognition alone will make me a better decision-maker? Should I make decisions based solely on non-emotional criteria? What about decisions where all of the criteria are emotional? What am I missing?

Thanks,
Preston

]]> By: macz http://steve-olson.com/give-me-3-minutes-and-ill-make-you-a-better-decision-maker/comment-page-1/#comment-1321 macz Wed, 06 Dec 2006 21:53:26 +0000 http://www.steve-olson.com/give-me-3-minutes-and-ill-make-you-a-better-decision-maker/#comment-1321 It IS rational to consider your feelings when making a decision that impacts your quality of life. Consider food: if you were to consume only the cheapest, most readily available ingredients which met the absolute nutritional minimum for sustaining life, you would be making a rational decision that would ultimately make you unhappy. It IS rational to consider your feelings when making a decision that impacts your quality of life.

Consider food: if you were to consume only the cheapest, most readily available ingredients which met the absolute nutritional minimum for sustaining life, you would be making a rational decision that would ultimately make you unhappy.

]]> By: Steve http://steve-olson.com/give-me-3-minutes-and-ill-make-you-a-better-decision-maker/comment-page-1/#comment-1320 Steve Fri, 01 Dec 2006 22:09:02 +0000 http://www.steve-olson.com/give-me-3-minutes-and-ill-make-you-a-better-decision-maker/#comment-1320 Thanks Iain, I've seen Seth's talk. It's outstanding and he's right on. Steve Thanks Iain,
I’ve seen Seth’s talk. It’s outstanding and he’s right on.

Steve

]]> By: Iain Lowe http://steve-olson.com/give-me-3-minutes-and-ill-make-you-a-better-decision-maker/comment-page-1/#comment-1319 Iain Lowe Fri, 01 Dec 2006 21:59:51 +0000 http://www.steve-olson.com/give-me-3-minutes-and-ill-make-you-a-better-decision-maker/#comment-1319 Seth Godin gave a fantastic talk at Google that touches on why/how we purchase things and how we invent rational reasons for doing emotional things; it's a bit long but well worth the time spent watching. Check it out http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6909078385965257294 Seth Godin gave a fantastic talk at Google that touches on why/how we purchase things and how we invent rational reasons for doing emotional things; it’s a bit long but well worth the time spent watching. Check it out http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6909078385965257294

]]> By: Rick Cockrum http://steve-olson.com/give-me-3-minutes-and-ill-make-you-a-better-decision-maker/comment-page-1/#comment-1318 Rick Cockrum Fri, 01 Dec 2006 03:26:56 +0000 http://www.steve-olson.com/give-me-3-minutes-and-ill-make-you-a-better-decision-maker/#comment-1318 There's an old saying that man is not a rational animal. We are rationalizing. I don't think I've ever met anyone who wasn't to one extent or another. There’s an old saying that man is not a rational animal. We are rationalizing. I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who wasn’t to one extent or another.

]]>