how should one sift through the negatives and positives to arrive at the best decision?

how should one sift through the negatives and positives to arrive at the best decision?

Description of the Situation

Five years ago, buying a pair of sneakers was not a big deal. I used to go to the sneaker shops, look at the mannequins, spot the pair that I liked, tried them, and if they fit, a make the purchase. The sneakers would last me for more than a year. Early last year, things had changed. I saw an Instagram post from a classmate who had worn a lovely pair of sneakers. I went ahead and sent him a message inquiring about the brand. He went ahead and sent me the information. I proceeded to search for Google reviews regarding the pair of sneakers, checked with Amazon for more reviews and after that, made a purchasing decision. The shoes looked so good and thought to myself that they should last longer than any sneaker that I had ever bought. This situation shows how critical thinking is needed, especially for savvy consumers. Within the scenario, several questions need to be addressed. For instance, which blogs, forums or review sites provide insight into brands which offer the best value for money? Is it justifiable to buy an expensive product which has been made with the best material and technology or budgeting the cash to warrant a hefty buy? With all the available reviews, how should one sift through the negatives and positives to arrive at the best decision?

How I Kept a Positive Attitude

To adequately navigate the situation, all the three questions that arose had to be comprehensively answered. The first step I had to take is to gather all the relevant information. This meant that I enquire about the prices of the shoes from various vendors. Secondly, I had to see what other buyers had to say about the sneakers and most importantly find out if the footwear had been made in accordance with what defines a quality sneaker for me. Further, I also had to evaluate the different types of information that I gathered from the various sources before making conclusions. This included asking myself questions like, is the sneaker affordable or it can dent my finances? If it is affordable, is it worth the price?

Determining the Accuracy of any Assumptions or Conclusions

In the process of assessing the accuracy of any assumptions or conclusions, I adopted three strategies. The first one is to read the reviews with the main aim of understanding what is being conveyed. This entailed indicating points which I disagreed or agreed or have further doubts and ultimately understand the intentions behind the points that are being advanced. The second strategy is to examine the opinions or claims by other customers. This meant that I applied the spectrum of authority technique where I identified the “hot” ends of the discussion-beliefs, cultural influences, feelings and societal influences-as well as the “cold” ends of the discussion-scientific opinions. Finally, before I concluded anything, cultivated the “habits of mind.” In so doing, I was receptive to having my views changed, respected others’ ideas and being independent.

Breaking the Problem into Smaller and Workable Parts

I broke the problem into small and workable parts by questioning my conclusions. I asked myself three questions which I ended up answering each of them. For instance, I had to ask myself which reviews should I gain insights from regarding the shoes. The answer to the question is that I decided to go to Amazon and view what other customers had to say about the pair of sneakers. The other question that I asked myself was if it was worth buying the sneakers at that price in the first place. The answer to the question was that I loved sneakers and needed to add another pair to my collection. So, this meant that it was worth buying them. Finally, before I concluded anything, I had to verify the validity of all the available reviews. Therefore, three questions allowed for the breaking down of the problem into smaller and more workable parts.

Determining what Necessary Information I had and what Information I Still Needed

In the quest to establishing what necessary information I had and what information I still needed, I had to assess my needs and wants. For instance, I have always been a fan of classy and latest sneakers. I knew that different brands release sneakers on an annual basis. Therefore, I was certain that there is the newest sneaker brand in the market but what I was not sure of is which brand exactly. The information that I needed was which brands had their latest sneakers in the market and what were the prices.

Organization of Information

While organizing the reviews to determine the positives and negatives, I wrote down a list. The list included the specifics of what I needed like the price range, the nature and type of shoe. I also noted down the different reviews and comparing them against each other to get the opinions that matched my abilities.

Feeling of Going Through the Process

Going through the process felt cumbersome, but in actuality, it was not. It was essential since my problem called for the use of logic. The entire process sought to ascertain the relations between views that seemed to be unrelated. Gathering the various opinions regarding the shoe helped in arriving at a sound purchasing decision. Furthermore, the decision was not based on emotions but backed by information. Finally, through the process, I got to evaluate my purchasing decision from various viewpoints, thus preventing a situation of impulse buying.