When I don’t know what I want, but am faced with a choice where both results will make me happy, I roll a d100 dice using an app on my phone. Should I watch Mission Impossible Rogue Nation or Ghost Protocol? I rolled a 55, Rogue Nation it is. For dinner should I have egg rolls or soup? Egg rolls sound really good, but what if I liked the soup better? I would feel regret about the one I didn’t choose. Alternatively, I rolled a 44 and calmly slid a tray of egg rolls into the oven. When buying stamps at the post office, should I get the ones that look like sunflowers or hot air balloons? After rolling a 63 my problem is solved. Where should you go out to dinner? I don’t know, nothing sounds good? What do you want? Red Robin sounds good, so does Culvers. In the past if I had chosen Culvers I would be disappointed that I didn’t go to Red Robin. Instead if I rolled a dice to make this choice, I would feel much happier with the decision because both choices are great and I can always choose the other one in the future.
A fair warning however, this method is not advised for making larger life decisions, at least not unless you’re desperate. I have rolled dice in an attempt to choose whether I should work somewhere or whether I should go on a trip? Should I go to Harvard or Arizona State? Who am I kidding, I couldn’t get into Arizona State? Often what happens is I will be unhappy with the dice roll and roll again. Still unhappy, do it again. In decisions where it’s very clear one choice will make you unhappy and the other will not, choose what you want to choose. This also applies to life altering changes that are un-reversable. You shouldn’t let fate get in the way of your destiny.
Speaking of taking chances, I found this blog post mentioning the roulette scene from Run Lola Run one of my favorite movies. Here is that blog post about Run Lola Run. I've also included the clip below so you can watch it for yourself. For those unfamiliar with the film, Lola is trying to find $100,000 to save her boyfriend before the mob finds out he lost their money. I think the real take away is that I should bring Lola with me next time I go to a casino.