Have You Counted the Costs?
Good Morning,
If you travel north, you will end up north of where you start. If you go east from Indiana, you will end up in Ohio. Right now, you are thinking, “This guy is brilliant…or maybe not.” Hang with me.
If you have read the Monday Morning Minute for very long you probably recall a reference to Andy Stanley’s wonderful book, The Principle of the Path, in which he states the premise: Direction, not intention leads to destination.1. This simple axiom applies to the questions we must ask ourselves. Because just like roads we travel, the choices we make take us places. What’s more, most of those places can be predicted with some confidence. So, this week’s question is, “Have you counted the costs of your choices and the courses you are on?”.
As I stated two weeks ago, my purpose this month is not to try and convince you of the choices you should make. Rather, my encouragement is that you evaluate how those choices will impact you and those you love. A critical part of that evaluation is an honest counting of the costs. And the word honest is extremely important. One of the benefits of this process is that it allows you to act with greater intention. Maximizing choices that will lead to “I’m sure glad I did” and minimizing, “I wish I wouldn’t have”. Maximizing peace of mind and minimizing regret. Let me give you an example.
At one point my son, who is an incredible cook, thought seriously about becoming a professional chef. He knew he could be good at it. Yet in evaluating that decision some things began to bump up against a core value of his to put wife and family above work. As he investigated it, he learned that the stress and demands of that career led to a very high divorce rate among chefs. He decided it was not worth the risk to him. Was future divorce a guarantee? Of course not. Was it a real possibility? Absolutely. The potential costs, divorce or not, were simply too high. Evaluating the cost of this course of action allowed him to make a choice that gave him the best chance to end up where he wants.
Here is the kicker though. Even if he had decided to become a chef and it didn’t go well, he could never look back and say, “I didn’t see that coming”. He would have essentially made the choice that if the worst happened, he was going to be ok with it. Let me get real. The same is true if you decide to spend all you make and end up with nothing to retire on. Start smoking and end up with cancer. Live overweight and get heart disease. Look at porn and squelch marital intimacy. Or live every moment for the short end of the rope at the expense of your eternity.
There is a very high cost to not counting the costs. There is good news, however. Even if you have not done so to this point, there is still time to start. The past is what it is, but the future is what could be. Will you start counting?
Questions to ponder this week:
1. Is there a course you are on for which the costs need honest counting?
2. If you have made choices you regret in the past, how might you begin to change course?
3. Who might be able to come alongside you as you evaluate the costs and benefits of a choice you are considering?
1. The Principle of the Path, Andy Stanley, Thomas Nelson Publishing
Live on purpose, Ron Klopfenstein, CPLC
