@Davinchysax 20 May 2021 more from that month

Preference, Value and Availability

What you want, how you want it and when you want something is always determined by certain factors. These factors play a very vital role in the amount of commitment you give to others to get something. It may be material (edible and inedible) or immaterial, it does not matter what the particular thing is, the only thing that matters is that it is what you want. This leads us to the reason for the article. Have you gone on a date with a woman (whether romantic or casual date) and as the menu is presented for her to make her choice of meal, you noticed that her choice of food was not what you expected of her. Probably, you were expecting her to choose a meal that is very rich in vitamins instead she chose something else. This also happens when you ask a child to choose whatever he wants, you will be surprised how he will choose something very insignificant to you but to him, that is what he truly wanted. Now, the pertinent question to ask is; ***what causes that?***   To answer this question, we will be looking at the factors that affect ****choice**** making in every individual. It does not matter if the factors differ from person A to person B, what matters is that these factors must come into play whenever choice making is needed.   ****Factor 1 Preference**** It is common knowledge that anyone who is given the chance to make a choice will always go for ***preference.*** The reason is that human wants are insatiable so the person who has been allowed to make choice will go for that which he needs at the moment because he understands that he may not be able to satisfy his wants at that particular time. Just as I stated in the first paragraph about a woman who has gone out on a date and a child who is asked to make a choice, these two person’s will not go straight for the things they do not want so badly rather they will go for that which their minds and body yearn for. Your preference at any given time will affect your choice because no one will want to take what they do not crave. This is the first factor that affects you and me whether we like it or not but the only problem we may encounter is the problem of aligning our preference with our needs.   ****Factor 2 Value**** I have seen where a lot of people will go the extra mile by way of spending above their budget just because they see ***value*** in that which they want to buy. I remember when I had to trek so far from the house just because I was craven for a bottle of chilled cocoa but that period was when we had electricity issue in our area for more than a month. On that faithful day, I cooked sumptuous jollof rice with enough smoked fish to go with it but as I served the food on the plate in other to eat, I noticed that I needed a chilled bottle of cocoa to enjoy the meal with it. I remembered that we have not had electricity for such a long time which will make it impossible for me to buy it from any store nearby, because I know how I will enjoy the meal better (value) with the bottle of cocoa, I had to cover the food I have already dished and set out on a quest to buy a chilled bottle of cocoa even if it means going on a long trek. Now, looking at the scenario, one might say that I could have just eaten the meal maybe with a cup of water since there was no nearby shop to buy what I needed but because of the value the chilled bottle of cocoa will add to the meal, I had to go for that long walk. Mind you, I got the chilled bottle of cocoa and enjoyed my meal with it. The value you have on something will make you do some crazy things just to get that thing. This is seen in all that we do today and it affects our choices at every given time.   ****Factor 3 Availability**** This last factor is what I tag as the unforeseen circumstance in choice making. Even though the value and your preference can make you go on a long walk just like I did to get what you want, it does not remove the fact that the unavailability of that which you want can make you choose something else. Just imagine going on a date and when you got there, as you wanted to make your choice from the menu you found out that your preference is not in the menu. Would you tell the person you went on a date with that he/ she should take you to another place where you can get what you want? Wouldn’t that make you a selfish person since you only cared about what you wanted? Meanwhile, the person you went out on a date with was able to find that which he/she wanted.   There is a saying that “***when the desirable is not available, the available becomes desirable”.*** It is not a hidden fact that we can always have a second option when it comes to choice making. What this means is that the availability of your preference and that which you value goes a long way to affect your choice-making at all times. Let us look at this scenario. Someone who is very thirsty came into a house only to find out that the only water in the house is the one inside the toilet sitter, do you think he will think twice before jumping straight to scoop the water with the aid of his hands just to drink and quench the thirst? That is the power of availability when it comes to choice making. What we wanted may not be readily available but we will always have the option of a second choice at all times.   I believe that there are other factors that I did not mention in this article that can affect the choices we make but don’t forget that in all of these, we will always choose that which our heart accepts.   Lead image https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1583320975624-d099f8c042f6?ixid=MnwxMjA3fDB8MHxwaG90by1wYWdlfHx8fGVufDB8fHx8&ixlib=rb-1.2.1&auto=format&fit=crop&w=750&q=80 [Sponsor]