5 Minute Motivator – At What Cost

At what cost are you taking one action over another? Your time is precious, and whatever measure of time you invest into one activity is lost forever over another activity. Often, people work on level 1. Level 1 is where an action has an immediate reaction - and that is as far as they can see. But our decisions have ripple effects that can last for decades. Have you heard the saying 'whatever seed you plant is what will grow'? Our decisions today will shape our future, so here's what you need to ask yourself - 'At What Cost'? What is the cost of taking this one action, over another action? There are countless milestones in our lives and as you get older you begin to realise that some milestones are important than others. Many, will never be repeated. Your daughters graduation for example. What a wonderful time to celebrate the hard work for 3-4 years that she invested in getting her degree. How happy would she be knowing how proud you are that she was able to accomplish something like this. Imagine telling her you can't make it? My father in law didn't come to his daughters wedding because he had a tennis tournament on that day. At what cost? At what cost are you taking actions today? You're taking on a new client who demands exclusivity. At what cost? This could potentially cut your market opportunity significantly. You're employing someone new to fill a senior role instead of promoting internally. At what cost? Perhaps your disgruntled senior staff member will resign next week. You're rolling out a new software solution. At what cost? New software comes with training, adoption and often implementation costs. You're signing a new lease. At what cost? Your cash flow will be significantly impacted and the promised staff bonuses may not be issued. Don't be a level 1 thinker. Instead, for all of your important decisions today, as yourself 'At What Cost'. Consider the ripple effects and only then make your final decision.