Make the decision right.
On certainty, truth, and the body's wisdom.
“Rather than stressing about making the right decision, make the decision right.” — Dr. Ellen Langer
In 2006, I hated what my life in Milan had become. After three days in London on a cold November day with beautiful blue skies, I made my decision while sitting in a Starbucks in Canary Wharf. I resigned the week after and moved four months later with a heavy suitcase, no flat, and no job.
The year that followed brought sleepless nights and moments of deep loneliness, wondering if I’d made a catastrophic mistake. It also brought the first glimpses of a life I actually wanted to live. For years I walked the streets of London in disbelief about having landed there and making a living.
Did I have evidence immediately it was the RIGHT decision? Hell no. I had left certainty and comfort for risk and discomfort.
Did I know deep down it was the RIGHT decision? Hell yes. Every fibre of my body was screaming ‘Keep going’.
Now, 19 years later, do I know if that was the RIGHT decision? I know it was the decision that felt right, the decision that gave me the fuel to fight, build, create, connect, grow, learn.
In 2022, I left a life that on paper was close to perfect but had become a silent killer of health, of joy, of inspiration, of who I truly am. I walked away from years of sacrifice without a penny. I chose to bow out when everyone else was staying to cash in.
The years that followed brought sleepless nights and moments of financial worry, wondering if I’d made a catastrophic mistake. They also brought a much more balanced and fulfilling life. I felt free, courageous, creative and alive again.
Did I have evidence immediately it was the RIGHT decision? Hell no. Once again, I had left certainty and comfort for risk and discomfort.
Did I know deep down it was the RIGHT decision? Hell yes. Once again, every fibre of my body was screaming ‘Keep going’.
Now, three years later, do I know if that was the RIGHT decision? Same as before: I know it was the decision that felt right, the decision that gave me the fuel to fight, build, create, connect, grow, learn.
In both cases, I made the decision that felt right to me at that point in time, with my body screaming for me to make it. Then I took the steps required to make it right — to me, no one else.
Most people I work with are paralysed by making the RIGHT decision. What if I make the wrong decision? How do I know if my decision is the right one? These questions lead to standing still, optimising for certainty over truth.
If you’re at one of those crossroads, paralysed by the quest for the right answer, let’s talk. Not so I can tell you what’s right, but so you can hear what your body is already screaming.
Pictures: 2008, having fun at the Christmas party in my first London job at Modem Media/Publicis Modem, where I met some of the best friends in life; 2025, a pic of me I adore, taken by one of these friends in Liguria, Italy. Something went right in-between.