The power of a coin flip
My friend had just watched me flip a coin to help them make a big decision. The coin didn’t make their decision, it showed them the one they had already made.
My friend had just watched me flip a coin to help them make a big decision. The coin didn’t make their decision, it showed them the one they had already made.
They had analysed the decision from every angle. There were strong arguments both ways, yet they were still stuck.
So I flipped a coin. Heads, Go for it. Tails, back out.
When it landed on heads and I asked how they felt about the result, a smile appeared and there was relief.
“If it had landed on tails, I would have been disappointed”.
The flip didn’t decide, it just revealed the conclusion they had already come to, but helped crystallise it.
Next time you’re faced with a big decision, in life or work, after thinking it through still leaves you in a 50/50 bind, flip a coin. Your reaction will tell you what you need to know.
Co-created with AI
This blog post was created in collaboration with an AI. This means that there was significant creative input by a human alongside the use of AI tools.
The idea and story is mine. I used Claude Code to act as an editor, giving me probing questions and feedback to help me refine.