What is best for you?

Some people choose Mykonos for their holiday. There’s no right or wrong. (Image by SilviaGB)

To get from mainland Greece to the island of Santorini can be done in a few different ways.

You can fly directly from Athens in under an hour.

You can also take a couple of different types of ferries from Piraeus, Athens’ port city. One is a high-speed ferry that takes about four and a half hours. The other runs at a more moderate speed, taking more than seven hours to make the trip.

Each travel option has its own price and itinerary. They each have their own pros and cons. There is no "best" way.

When I made the trip out, I took the slow ferry. Why? Well, apparently the faster ferry ride is bumpier, and there are no decks for getting outside.

I have fond memories of the ferry ride: The unbelievable lapis lazuli blue of the Aegean sea, the short stops at various islands, the wind and sun on my face. It was lovely.

On the return trip, I decided to fly, since I'd be leaving from the same airport to go back to the United States the following day. That freed up my last day for sight-seeing instead of spending it on the ferry and added a bit of variety to my modes of Hellenic transportation.

For me, it would be a mistake to make speed and efficiency the highest value when it comes to travel. The most efficient thing is to stay home. No, I'm in it for the experience. It's the journey, not the destination, as they say.

I frequently encounter choices like the ferry choice in life and business. For instance, which is easier: finding four clients at $5,000 each, or ten clients at $2,000 each?

When I was confronted with this question, the answer was clearly supposed to be "finding four clients." Theoretically, it's "easier" to make the same amount of money with fewer clients.

And yet, like the ferry choice, it depends. There are many variables involved, from the marketing to the sales conversation to the service itself. Maybe finding the ten clients is actually easier, and serving them could be easier, too.

A lot of the advice out there encourages us to reverse engineer a given result in order to achieve it with maximum speed and efficiency. We ought to keep a sense of perspective about that. An emphasis on speed and efficiency may compromise other values that are important to us.

For instance, there are specific tactics you can use to gain attention on social media and build followers. Not all of them are things you or I would be proud to do. You can also game the Amazon bestseller lists or spread nasty rumors about a rival. No thanks.

When we find ourselves uneasy or uncertain about the best choice in a given area, we can return to our own values. I ask myself questions like, "What do I want to get out of this?" or "How do I want this to feel?" Another good one is, "Is this even necessary?"

I can be easily swayed by what someone else thinks is best. I have to remember that their opinion is grounded in their values, experiences, preferences, and circumstances. My definition of "best" may well be different, and that doesn't make either of us wrong.

Years ago, when I was visiting Atlanta and thinking about moving there, my cousin, a local, took me for a drive. He was showing me various neighborhoods and apartment complexes to recommend.

On the way to one of these destinations, we drove down a tree-lined street that was full of life. People were out and about, visiting shops and restaurants.

"What is this?" I asked, my face practically pressed up against the glass.

"Oh," he said, a bit indifferently. "This is Virginia-Highland."

My cousin didn't live in Virginia-Highland for a reason. He wasn’t even going to suggest it to me as an option. He didn't like the run-down garden style apartments and pretentious boutiques. He had chosen a different neighborhood that was best for him. But within days, I had signed a lease on an apartment in Virginia-Highland. Shortly thereafter, I started a business in that neighborhood that exists to this day. Virginia-Highland was the best choice for me.

It's sometimes scary to step out and choose something that doesn't match the recommendations you've been given or what the people around you are doing. Like choosing the longer ferry ride, it may seem illogical or ill-advised. However, if your choice is grounded in your own values, it will be the best for you. Go for it!

Have you ever made a choice that looked like the "wrong" one but was actually right? I'd love to hear your story.