Choosers Are Losers
That feeling of being stuck in a limbo, unable to make decisions—we've all been there. Every day, we make choices and decisions—big, small, inconsequential, and sometimes monumental. But then the phenomenon of “analysis paralysis” takes over. We humans analyze, overanalyze, look at reviews, check ratings, and struggle to make even the smallest decisions easily.
Every decision is tinged with comparison, fear of missing out, and the thought that a better deal may be just around the corner. This slowly seeps into other aspects of life—beyond material or worldly things. It begins to affect our relationships, work, family, and spiritual life.
It sets us up for ultimate failure. How can life be anything but a failure if every decision is fettered by analysis, followed by paralysis, and finally, resignation? Not a true resolution, but a decision or choice clouded by a total lack of conviction, faith, and clarity.
Our world has changed dramatically over the past few decades. Today, we live in an age of endless choices, with everything we could possibly want just a tap or swipe away. Relationships are now just a click removed, and our basic needs can be met in an instant. Yet, in this whirlwind of convenience, we find ourselves with little real time to truly live—to pause, to reflect, to simply be.
Beyond regimented meditation sessions, beyond therapy, and even beyond the hobbies that keep us busy, lies a deeper need: a space to live life unburdened—free from the constant loop of choice, analysis, and decision.
As my Guru, Dr. Vasant Lad, says: “Choosers are losers.”
This does not mean living without decisions, but rather cultivating such manas shakti—strength of mind—and clarity of thought, that decisions arise effortlessly. Choices no longer become struggles, but reflections of inner alignment.
How do we achieve this state? Do we have the means to reach it? Is it even possible? The answer is yes
First, we must delve deeper into the psychology of “analysis paralysis.” What makes us enter that mode of uncertain indecision? The most common reasons are fear of failure, an overload of information and choices, and a need to make the “perfect” choice.
This causes us, present-day humans, to get stuck in a limbo of indecision. The same indecisiveness and vacillating mindset are fertile ground for anxiety, rumination, and avoidance.
So, how do we develop manas shakti, this clarity of thought?
The first step is to embrace imperfection. No decision is going to be perfect. Next, limit the time and number of choices. Narrow it down to just two options, and set a timer to ensure you don’t waste time in indecision.
Once we manage the outer noise of decision-making, we can begin to tune into the inner signal—our dharmic compass.
While practical hacks help tame the surface noise, the true shift occurs deeper—when decisions are no longer made by the ego, but arise from alignment with the Atman. This is where ritual becomes remedy. This is where the real magic happens: start living life in service of whatever you deem as divine.
Adi Shankaracharya’s beautiful quote from the Soundarya Lahiri comes to mind here. He says in verse 27:
जपो जल्पः शिल्पं सकलमपि मुद्राविचरणा गतिः प्रादक्षिण्यक्रमणमशनाद्याहुतिविधिः ।
प्रणामः संवेशः सुखमखिलमात्मार्पणदृशा सपर्यापर्यायस्तव भवतु यन्मे विलसितम् ॥
“Let my idle chatter be the muttering of prayer, my every manual movement the execution of ritual gesture, my walking a ceremonial circumambulation, my eating and other acts the rite of sacrifice, my lying down prostration in worship, my every pleasure [enjoyed] with dedication of myself— let every activity of mine be some form of worship of You.”
The act of surrender—of finding grace and ritualizing all our activities—removes the sense of doership from the act of doing.
We can then distance ourselves from the feeling of ownership and begin to dissolve the sense of “I” , The ego—the Ahamkara—is the root cause of the dithering, vacillating mind. Once the Ahamkara no longer rules us, the reins of the mind are firmly in the hands of the charioteer, unbothered by distractions.
In that state, life is no longer a puzzle of indecision. It becomes what it was always meant to be: a divine journey of consciousness, unchained from the fetters of Maya.
