On Cost...

“There ain't no such thing as free lunch.”

This is an often used phrase to describe that everything comes at a cost.

For most of us it is easy to associate with this quote when it comes to things that we pay for with money.

Yet, sometimes we forget that nothing in life is free - even if we don't pay for things using money. Let me give you a few examples.

Continuous growth and learning to advance one's career in any area costs time... time is the most limited resource on earth. No matter what we do, we can't get more than 24 hours a day.

So we need to invest our limited time in certain things while we take it away from other things.

People ask me how I manage to read the number of books that I read. It is because I almost don't watch any TV.

Even when I do stream stuff, it is mostly (other than watching Liverpool FC play) related to my work e.g. watching interviews or documentaries to learn.

Do I do this, because I do not like movies? No... I loooove movies. But I prioritize learning over enjoying a movie... not all the time, but most of the time.

Having great kids that succeed in school and sports is something that most parents would love to have. This comes at a cost.

No matter how smart kids are, they need support to succeed in school.

Sometimes it is just answering a few of their questions related to a certain subject, sometimes it is about explaining them certain topics, and sometimes it is just listening to them about something new they have learned.

All of this requires time and patience. I cannot provide my kids with the level of focus needed if I have worked for 12+ hours that day. I need a fresh mind... this is why we have established Saturday and Sunday morning as homework days.

After breakfast, I sit down with all three kids and they walk me through everything they have covered in school that week and questions they have related to their homework.

The same applies to sports... If we want kids to build a habit of being physically active, maybe even becoming great team players by playing team sports, we need to make time to take them to practice, go to their games, and cheer for them.

Actively taking part in our children's lives requires time... time that then can't be spend on other things be it personal hobbies, work, or time with friends.

I am not writing these lines to tell people how they should be spending their time... everyone has their own list of priorities.

The one thing I want to emphasize is that we always need to be aware of the costs associated with everything we aim for or want.

A great career requires time and dedication.

A great family requires time and dedication.

Being in shape requires time and dedication.

Great friendships require time and dedication.

Making smart investments require time and dedication.

Everything comes at a cost... in most cases it is your time and your dedication to whatever you want to achieve.

It is easy to want everything... but as it is with things we pay for, we need to evaluate whether the things we want are worth the associated cost.

What do we want to say "yes" to consciously? Everything else is probably a "no"!

As you move into 2024 what do you want to achieve and what are you going to leave behind?

#FromNothingComesNothing