For most choices we make in life there are multiple options.

In the classroom tests take on various structures, multiple choice, true-false, fill-in-the-blank, short answer, and essay. Answers are graded by the teacher as right or wrong in most cases and a judgment is made in the others. Many take this model into life after school and believe there are mostly right and wrong answers and the judgment of those in authority is the correct judgment.

Life does not work this way. Best choices in life vary substantially by individual. We are each wired with different sets of strengths, weaknesses, and motivations. Absolute right or wrong is rare. Choices in life are much closer to the multiple choice questions with the answer:  all the above.

Feeling we don’t know the answer in the classroom creates concern and stress. Feeling we don’t know the answers in life creates an enormous amount of unnecessary stress in this world. A perspective on what we do not know is infinitely more important than what we do know.