"Right" or "Best"

Healthy Survivors make the best decisions, not the right ones. They take the best steps, not the right steps.  Right? Best? Is there any difference?

Yes. "Right" means you achieve the outcome you want. "Best" means you optimize your chance of achieving the outcome you want.

Imagine you have 10 seconds to unlock a treasure chest. One set of keys has the key that fits plus 9 other keys that don't fit. A second set has the key that fits plus 99 other keys that don't fit.

Naturally you want to make the right choice and try the key that unlocks the chest before time runs out. Assuming you don't cheat and you can't predict the future, the best you can do is to use statistics to stack the odds favorably.

Note that you can choose the set with only 10 keys (i.e., choose wisely) and still run out of time before you try the right key. Or you can choose the set with 100 keys (i.e., choose poorly) and open the chest on the first try. Uncertainty about the outcome persists, whatever you choose.

Regarding medical treatment, you can't know if you made the "right" choice until you see the outcome. So it is impossible to know the "right" choice when making your treatment decision. So you make your best choice with the available information.

Healthy Survivors make wise decisions and accept whatever happens, knowing the best they can do is the best they can do.  

Comments

[Andrea Gauthier]

Awww...thank you, Wendy. We don't control everything. Trust helps.

[Kirk]

What a powerful example. I likely will borrow this some day. Thank you.

Kirk

[wendy]

Love the pictures you paint with words. And the message comes out crystal clear.
Beautiful!