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Reader question: In this sentence (Do you second-guess every decision you make – from buying a car all the way down to the shoes you wore today?), please explain second-guess. My comments: To guess is to make a calculation before making a decision. To second-guess is, literally, to guess a second time, i.e. to calculate too much. Too much calculation often leads to indecision, plus worries and regret if the decision eventually made turns out to be undesirable. If you second-guess all the time what you should do in the future, you may never reach a decision and, as a result, may miss an opportunity. For example, you want to do a vacation abroad but second-guess too much, you may never go anywhere. You may want to go to Japan to see the cherry blossoms, for example, but wonder if it’s dangerous out there, constantly reminding yourself of the effects of the tsunami and the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster and so forth. And you know what, before you know, April has turned into May. You want to go to Iceland, too, but wonder if one of the volcanoes there may erupt while you’re there. See what I mean? If, on the other hand, you second-guess too much about past decisions, you will never cease to worry. And it often leads to regret and dissatisfaction, because you always wonder whether you have made the right decision. In the top example, for instance, you question yourself at night whether you came to work in the right shoes. You know, you wore a pair of black leather shoes to work today and in mid-afternoon, your boss came to you with the news that you’re being transferred to another department. You don’t want to move and now wonder if it’s the shoes you wore. | 
