Just Say No--Often

In my Principles of Accounting II class, students learn the economic concept of opportunity costs.

op·por·tu·ni·ty cost:The cost of an alternative that must be forgone in order to pursue a certain action.

 

They learn that spending to build a new factory may result in fewer resources to hire new staff.  Or bumping salaries today may mean living with a crummy health insurance plan for an extra year.  The business world, in other words, is about trade-offs---learning when to say "yes" and when to say "no."

I think this economic concept applies on the track and in life.

 

You can only do so many good things at the same time before you CEASE being GOOD.  If you sit on EVERY committee at work, volunteer EVERY night at church, give to EVERY charity that calls and commit your kids to EVERY sport, are you being effective?  No.

 

We blab the mantra of "less is more", "family first" and "exercise is important" but our calendars reveal the reality of where our priorities truly reside.  We commit ourselves--and our KIDS-- to multiple committees, meetings, sports, volunteer projects and charity pledges--forgetting that when we say YES to something (e.g. a new project at work), we are really saying NO to something else (e.g. time with family) . What's more, we sign up for more commitments for the wrong reason--guilt.

The result:  a treadmill of MORE to-do lists, MORE meetings, MORE action items, MORE emails. A week becomes one elongated day leaving us gasping on Saturday--only to sort the mountain of junk mail and maybe start some laundry while contemplating a grocery list.  What's more--we feel guilty for not dedicating enough of our time and effort to the commitment we signed up for! Basketball with the kids at the park? Nope. Start that novel you have always wanted to write?  Yeah, right.

 

Sound familiar?  

 

How about this for a solution:  Say no.  Often.

 

I say apply the notion of opportunity costs to your decision making at home and your training.  Ask yourself what your top 1-2 priorities this year are for:  1) your job  2) your family   3) your health (mental or physical) and  4) charity.  Any "opportunity" that comes your way that does not advance these areas should be immediately rejected.  In other words say "no."

 

By applying this economic logic, we can focus our energy for the right things for the right reasons--and set personal records on and off the track.

 

AMJ