If each of us were to make a list of self-destructive habits, second guessing ourselves would, almost certainly, be on every list; often near the top.

Why do we do second guess ourselves?  We all make choices in life that don’t work out as we had hoped. Rarely do we reach a decision point (fork-in-the-road) and intentionally choose the wrong path. When things don’t turn out as planned, there is no assurance that the path not selected would have worked out any better.

Second guessing requires that we spend time looking back ward.  All we need do to trigger a spasm of second guessing is to make a decision and act upon that decision. If we don’t get the exact outcome we sought, the second guessing can begin.

In the early stages of this habit we find ourselves taking two steps forward and one step back. In more advanced cases we may take two steps forward and two steps backward. At that point, our lives are stuck in neutral. No decision and no outcome are ever good enough. Life passes us bye.

Dear reader:  I am not a life coach, therapist, psychologist or psychic. What I am is a 75 year old who has made his share of mistakes in life. When I recognize my mistakes, I mount an effort to understand how they happened and then to correct them. My blogs are a collection of “been there and done that” intended to stimulate thinking in others.