Mind Mint: Suits, salespeople, and spouses.

Before starting business school, I needed to buy an interview suit. I went to a discount menswear store where an old-school salesman took my measurements, asked a few questions, and starting pulling suits off the rack for me.

Ninety minutes later I was still there debating the purchase with myself. I’d found a suit I liked but didn't love. Only partially concealing his exasperation, the salesman finally said to me, “You’re picking a suit, not a wife!” 

With that line, he managed to reframe the purchase decision for me. I immediately realized he was right: the suit was fine, it was time to buy it and move on. 

Anytime we feel stuck when trying to make a decision, it’s helpful to do what my suit salesman did: reframe the issue by “zooming out” and asking whether or not the decision warrants the time we’re investing in it. 

P.S. – While I have since bought many suits, it took another 16 years for me to find a wife. But it was worth the wait, as my marriage has outlasted all of my suits!