Cognition drives sound decision making….

There is a general perception around that as age increases, our ability to take sound decisions reduces, and we tend to depend on our younger family members (kids especially) for vital inputs every now and then. I have heard many people opine that as they grow old, their confidence to take decisions, that would have significant impact on any particular issue, reduces drastically. Hence they cannot give any sound verdict without consultations.

To me, it is not age alone but also cognition that makes a huge difference in decision making. In fact cognitive abilities have been shown to be a far greater contributor to a person’s ability to take independent decisions, irrespective of age. My mom tells me that her grandmother was one such individual, who would persistently steady the family ship day in and day out single handedly with her strong personality and sound decision making, till she died at the age of 86.

At the end of the day, decision making is about self confidence also. Over the years, if you have had the gumption of taking high-impact decisions independently and successfully, then even at an old age, you would continue to do so, unless of course, you are suffering from some neurological disorder. People like Ratan Tata and Warren Buffet are burning examples of this.

Aging alone is never a hindrance and should never be allowed to be one when it comes to decision making capabilities. Expressing your thoughts cogently with adequate cognition, which would come from experience and prescience, would help you shun diffidence and propel you to keep taking prudent and sensible decisions every time you want to.