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Holistic" Decision Making - Its Impact on Quality of Life Phil Metzger, RC&D Coordinator USDA NRCS / Central NY RC&D The question is often asked, how do we live a life in concert with our values? And how do we make sure we are considering what we value most deeply? What about when we feel we are having trouble moving toward what we desire in our lives? What is certain is that that we make hundreds of decisions every day that affects our lives and those around us. Think about it, have you ever considered how many decisions you make from when you get up in the morning to when you go to bed at night? So, how do people commonly make decisions? Traditionally decisions are made toward a singular goal or objective. However, since this lacks a broad enough or ‘holistic’ perspective, it can lead to unintended consequences. Holistic is defined in Webster’s as “…dealing with wholes or integrated systems rather than with their [individual] parts.” Farms are a clear example of an integrated system where focusing too narrowly can result in failure. An example would be if a farmer is totally focused on maximizing production in his/her effort to increase income without considering the impacts on his/her family (social) potentially leading to discontent in the home. What is it that drives us to make decisions that seem to go against what we truly desire? Better yet what could we do to make sure that the decisions we make actually move us closer to what it is we truly desire? Many people feel a sense of powerlessness or feel that what we do personally doesn’t matter. But think about it – say a person makes 100 decisions per day. How many people in your household? How many people in your neighborhood? How many people in your county, your state, your nation (it’s roughly 291 million in the U.S.)? So, that’s over 29 billion decisions per day alone in the United States. If those roughly 291 million people made better decisions in terms of moving their life in the direction they desire do you think it would change the world? If those decisions were made with concern for financial, environmental and social impacts do you think it would impact our quality of life? Fortunately, there is a decision making framework that will do just that. It will allow you to simultaneously consider the economic, ecological and social impacts of your decisions – it’s called Holistic Management. It’s not difficult once you grasp the basic concept. In fact it’s a way to make better decisions so that what you truly desire in your life is more achievable. Perhaps more importantly it helps you recognize that the decisions you make do affect your future and that of those around you. It helps you realize that there is no single bottom line (financial), but a triple top line. |
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