Not choosing for fear of making the wrong choice can actually be more harmful then choosing incorrectly.  This is commonly known in bureaucratic  circles as analysis paralysis.

Choosing incorrectly can have catastrophic potentially irreversable results but within reasonable risk limits, not choosing can lead to different but still painful negative results, possibly over a longer term.

Mistakes are Necessary

The value equation associated with decision is a balance between the potential negative outcomes versus positive outcomes  weighed against the time factor.

In many cases the longer it takes to make the decision (usually the cautious approach) can diminish the likelyhood of positive outcomes.

On the other hand, deciding without enough factual information increases the risk of negative results.  Taking too long though could result in the decision seeming sound but in fact due to changes over time it has become flawed.

Don’t Focus on the Mistake

Lack of action most frequently leads to lack of results.  This is an argument for making a decision and acting even if there is a potential for error.

However, this needs to be a balanced approach based on the decision value equation.  Ultimately, there is never a certainty of a positive result but with reasoned analysis the likelyhood of success can be estimated.

Fear of being wrong should not be a factor in whatever action is selected but rather likelyhood of a positive versus a negative result.

The message of this post, don’t let fear rule, no worries being acting and being wrong is far better than not acting at all.