Reflection on Travis Bradberry’s “5 Choices You’ll Regret Forever” (Article Critique Sample)

Student’s Name Instructor’s Name Course Number Date Reflection on Travis Bradberry’s “5 Choices You’ll Regret Forever” In the article "5 Choices You'll Regret Forever," Bradberry interrogates the complexities surrounding effective decision-making. The author notes that people often face a constant stream of decisions in their daily lives. Whether critical or otherwise, these voluminous decisions can overwhelm an individual and leads to decision fatigue (Bradberry). For instance, the pleasure a vehicle would provide a buyer can overshadow the financial distress associated with the purchase. In this case, the buyer's brain focuses on memories of the value other people derived from the car when it should ideally focus on the imminent misery when making the monthly car payments. Since the buyer lacks memories of this pending misery, it becomes difficult for their brain to contemplate. Thus, people's brains often focus on specific detailed memories when making decisions instead of referencing their knowledge. Notably, Bradberry relates his assertions to Stephen Covey's famous quote, "I am not a product of my circumstances. I am a product of my decisions." This statement is relevant to the text since it reiterates that circumstances do not define people or who or what they are. According to Lawhimsy, situations do not have the power to shape people's destinies. The power lies in how one chooses to react to their circumstances through their decisions, the directions they opt to take, and reactions to the issues at hand. One may opt to do nothing, concentrate on the negative, and allow a situation or person to define them, or let a reaction dictate their worth. (Lawhimsy). Thus, Bradberry's text reiterates Covey's thoughts by highlighting five choices that an individual may regret forever. One regrettable choice is wishing one never made decisions based on other people's expectations. Making decisions based on other people's opinions can lead to a distasteful career choice (Bradberry). The best way to avoid influence from other people's views is to acknowledge that genuine self-worth comes from within. People also regret the decision to put career first before family. According to Bradberry, the decision to work hard may lead to happiness, but it can turn counterproductive when taken at the expense of loved ones. Thus, people should find a balance between pursuing a career and spending time with family. Another regrettable choice is wishing one never expressed their feelings. Individuals should control emotions since they can be dangerous (Bradberry). If left uncontrolled, feelings can hinder one's performance and prevent one from reaching their goal. These three examples are among the five regrettable choices that Bradbury relates to Cory's quote. I have also made cert...