By Mike Johnson
Much of what we do just isn’t worth the effort.
The trouble is, we often don’t learn this until after we’ve already committed.
As we age, experience piles up, giving us a deeper reservoir of clarity to draw upon.
We’ve defined what we most value and compare that to the possible results of a decision.
If the math fails, we say “no” and save ourselves a negative-equity experience.
I recently spent a week researching and imagining the purchase of a nice fifth wheel on a rented lot.
Living so remote for so long, I’ve wanted an outpost in Cody for the occasional weekend to experience the convenience of restaurants and bike paths.
A normal second home wildly fails the cost/benefit computation but a cheap RV came closer.
In the end, it wasn’t the cost of the RV, it was the $600 per month continual expense of lot rent and utilities that tipped the scale negative.
I just wouldn’t use it often enough to justify the on-going expense.
When I finally passed on the deal, I felt relieved.
This told me I’d made the right decision.
Yet for someone else, it’s a great opportunity.
A typical homestead in Cody costs well over $300,000.
The fifth wheel scenario costs less than $10,000.
It all comes down to what you value and what you need.
I was also wrestling with a week-long trip to the Minnesota State Fair.
I’ve been doing that every few years.
I typically go alone so that requires driving the 1,000-miles each way myself.
The more days you spread the trip, the more hotel rooms you rent, the more food and expenses, and the longer your time away from home.
So I’ve been driving 500-mile days on past journeys to shorten travel time.
As I’ve aged, that’s become too brutal a schedule.
Flying doesn’t work because it limits what you can take (like an e-bike) and bring home.
There’s also pressure to see people and places along the way, and while there, maximizing the opportunity, which increases the busyness of the daily schedule when not driving.
Go-go-go for a week is well outside my comfort zone.
I’m used to nothing on my schedule but reading, writing and tinkering.
I imagine all the fun feelings I’ll have on the journey and then imagine all the work it takes to gain those feelings.
The difference between the two just isn’t large enough.
Especially when I already love where I am, doing what I do.
So I said no to that too.
And instantly gained a free week.
And felt relieved again.
“No” is a powerful word because it prevents a long list of work, expenses and on-going commitment.
“Yes” is a powerful world because it allows a tsunami of opportunity, learning and experience.
Careful calculation of the variables between the two helps discern the best decisions for you.
The right answers can save years of misery or provide years of fulfillment.
Either way, we get an outcome that’s unique to our own values and desires.
In the end, these simple and complex decisions define who we become.
Calculating the cost/benefit of these decisions consciously and proactively, stacks the deck in our favor.
###
More:
###
Back to Mike's Warm, Wealthy Wisdoms
Back to Mike's Website, WorldsBestWriter.com