A few months ago, I set my sights on a camera. This wasn’t an impulse buy. I spent weeks watching reviews, comparisons, and crunching numbers—how often I’d use it, if it was really worth it, and whether I truly needed it. It was one of those decisions you keep revisiting over and over again. When I finally bought it, joy was the first feeling. But that didn’t last long before another thought popped up: Was this really the right choice? At one point, I even wondered if I truly "deserved" it. It was a strange feeling because everything pointed to the decision being perfectly fine. I’d thought it through, could afford it, and genuinely felt happy. Yet, that little flicker of doubt was still there. And I’m pretty sure I’m not alone in feeling this way.
When the Second Guessing Starts After the Decision
We often think the hard part is making the decision. We weigh options, list pros and cons in our heads, compare possibilities. Once we decide, logic says the story should end there. But in reality, this is often when a new wave of doubt begins. We start rethinking our choice. Did I consider everything? Did I miss something? What if I’d picked the other option? The more energy we put into deciding, the easier it is to question it afterward.
The Hidden Side of Choices
Every decision has a less visible side—the other options we didn’t choose. When I decided to buy the camera, I let go of all the alternatives. I could have spent the money elsewhere, waited another year, or picked a cheaper model. These alternatives don’t just disappear. Our brain sometimes brings them back, as if double-checking: was this really the best choice? That’s when the strange feeling creeps in that maybe we got more than we deserved.
The Trap of Overthinking
There comes a point when thinking stops helping and just goes in circles. Psychologists call this rumination—an endless loop of analyzing a decision without finding new answers.
At times like this, we’re not really searching for the real problem. We’re chasing the comforting feeling that we made the right choice.
The catch is, most decisions rarely come with 100% certainty.
The “Do I Deserve This?” Question
This feeling is especially interesting when the decision works in our favor. When we buy something we’ve wanted, when an opportunity turns out well, or when we finally choose something for ourselves. Sometimes a strange question pops up: Do I really deserve this? Often, it’s just that after long reflection, we made a choice that benefits us—and that alone doesn’t make it "wrong".
Maybe Doubt Is Part of Every Decision
We like to believe there’s a perfect decision—one after which we can relax completely, sure we did the right thing. But reality is much more human. Most decisions leave a little doubt behind. A tiny thought about what might have happened if we took a different path. Maybe it simply means the decision mattered to us. Not every good choice has to leave us feeling totally calm right away. Sometimes, just taking the step that felt best at the moment is enough.
