People like to say that too much choice is what makes us stuck. That we hesitate because we don’t know what to pick.
I don’t buy that.
I was never stuck. I never hesitated. I never believed in optimization, in carefully curating the perfect career or lifestyle. I moved. When something no longer felt right, I left. I worked as a chef, an operating room technician, a filmmaker, a journalist - not because I couldn’t decide, but because I refused to be reduced to one thing.
And yet, I’ve seen it. In others, in society, in a world that tells us more choice is always a good thing - but never teaches us how to navigate it.
The irony? Most people aren´t just overwhelmed because they have too many options. They’re also overwhelmed because they’ve never truly asked themselves what they want.
The Illusion of "More"
Modern life is built on the idea that the more freedom we have, the happier we’ll be. More job opportunities, more places to live, more ways to meet people, more ways to define ourselves.
So why do so many feel lost?
Not because of choice itself. But because most of those choices are empty. They don’t come from real desire, but from expectations, comparison, and the silent pressure to make the "right" decision.
I've watched people stay in jobs they hate, not because they lacked other options, but because they felt like switching would be a step backward.
I've seen people chase careers, not because they loved the work, but because it looked good on paper.
I’ve met people who stayed in places that drained them, who never moved, never traveled, not because they couldn’t, but because they didn’t know where else to go.
The real problem is not only choice. It’s that most people don’t trust themselves to make one.
Leaving Isn’t Enough
I left jobs, countries, industries—not to find the perfect fit, but because I never wanted to be owned by any single path. And yet, I’ve learned that movement alone isn’t enough.
Because leaving a job doesn’t mean you know what you want.
Because changing your life doesn’t automatically give it meaning.
I saw it in the kitchen, where chefs worked eighteen-hour shifts, convincing themselves the stress was worth it because, one day, they’d be the ones in charge.
I saw it in hospitals, where people spent decades climbing hierarchies, only to find that the view from the top wasn’t any better than from the bottom.
I saw it in media, where people built entire careers around making content they didn’t even believe in.
You can keep moving forever. But if you’re just running from discomfort instead of running toward something real, you’ll end up just as lost.
Freedom Without Direction Is a Cage
There’s a difference between freedom and agency.
Freedom is having infinite choices. Agency is knowing what to do with them.
If you don’t have agency, unlimited choice doesn’t make you powerful - it makes you passive.
I’ve seen it in emergency rooms, where too many options lead to hesitation at the worst possible moment.
I’ve seen it in film productions, where an extra day of "refining the vision" kills momentum.
I’ve seen it in people who tell themselves they’re "waiting for the right opportunity", but in reality, they’re just waiting for permission.
And so they stay. Not because they don’t have options. But because choosing one means letting go of all the others.
How to Stop Drowning in Freedom
The answer isn’t fewer options. It’s knowing yourself well enough to not need them all.
I learned this the hard way. I thought if I just kept exploring, I’d figure it out. But meaning doesn’t come from searching. It comes from engagement.
The best chefs I worked with weren’t the ones who obsessed over the "right" technique. They were the ones who trusted their instincts.
The best surgeons weren’t the ones who overanalyzed every cut. They were the ones who had trained their hands to know.
The best decisions I’ve ever made weren’t the ones where I carefully weighed every possible outcome. They were the ones where I committed fully and figured it out as they went.
Modern life tricks us into believing that certainty comes before action.
But the truth is, certainty comes from action.
The Final Thought: Stop Waiting, Start Living
Most people don’t need more time to think. They need more time to act.
If I’ve learned anything from working in high-pressure environments - kitchens, hospitals, film sets - it’s that waiting for clarity is a myth. You get clear by doing.
So stop waiting.
Not for the right job. Not for the right city. Not for the right moment.
Because if you’re always waiting, you’re not free.
You’re just trapped in a more sophisticated cage.
If you are stuck in some situation or job you can get in touch with me here: https://www.christianwittmann.com/
