What's the cost? In this economy, that's a question we hear a lot. But are dollars always the best measure cost?
True story...
My daughter and I just talked about her trip home for Christmas. Should she fly or drive? Flying is fast and takes less energy. But the airlines have bumped the cost of the usual ticket home to double the price. No worries, she thought, I'll use my frequent flier miles. When she went into the frequent flier part of the site, she found that the miles needed for a flight were bumped from the usual 15,000 per flight to now 40,000 per flight. Ouch.
The conclusion: The cost of flying it too high. So much for that idea.
But here's the problem: Some things can't be measured by financial cost only. Driving eight hours in winter weather is taxing. Driving, you can't decompress from work, rest on the plane, or even catch up on some work before jumping into the holiday. Sure, driving costs less money. But is there another cost involved? What about time? What about energy? What about the ensuing pressures, stress, and affect on relationships?
What we tend to forget: Decision making includes far more than dollars. Just like most decisions, the cost of driving versus flying isn't purely money-based. For my daughter, driving saves dollars...but she'll arrive to the holiday tired and arrive home, after the holiday, tired. For some jobs, that's not too bad...but for my daughter's job, where she spends incredible amounts of emotional energy dealing with significant medical issues for inner-city patients without financial or emotional resources...well, to start tired, after returning home, is a cost that she'll want to measure. I'm not telling her what to do. I'm simply saying that cost applies to much more than money.
With all decision making, the true question is, what's the true cost--in all areas? Energy has a cost. Time has a cost. Putting out negative energy toward another person has a cost, and not attending to relationship has a cost.
Let's apply this to writing.
As a writer, if I don't spend time writing, what's the cost--to my mind and heart?
As a writer, if I don't finish my book, what's the cost--emotionally?
As a writer, if I don't spend time and energy learning to better my craft, what's the cost--in the finished product?
As a writer, if I write but don't put in my best emotionally, what's the cost--to the finished product, my readers, my future?
As a writer, if I count the cost of writing as time only, then what is the cost to me emotionally, at the end, when I never finished that writing piece that I always wanted to write?
Cost has more than one dimension, doesn't it?
True story...
My daughter and I just talked about her trip home for Christmas. Should she fly or drive? Flying is fast and takes less energy. But the airlines have bumped the cost of the usual ticket home to double the price. No worries, she thought, I'll use my frequent flier miles. When she went into the frequent flier part of the site, she found that the miles needed for a flight were bumped from the usual 15,000 per flight to now 40,000 per flight. Ouch.
The conclusion: The cost of flying it too high. So much for that idea.
But here's the problem: Some things can't be measured by financial cost only. Driving eight hours in winter weather is taxing. Driving, you can't decompress from work, rest on the plane, or even catch up on some work before jumping into the holiday. Sure, driving costs less money. But is there another cost involved? What about time? What about energy? What about the ensuing pressures, stress, and affect on relationships?
What we tend to forget: Decision making includes far more than dollars. Just like most decisions, the cost of driving versus flying isn't purely money-based. For my daughter, driving saves dollars...but she'll arrive to the holiday tired and arrive home, after the holiday, tired. For some jobs, that's not too bad...but for my daughter's job, where she spends incredible amounts of emotional energy dealing with significant medical issues for inner-city patients without financial or emotional resources...well, to start tired, after returning home, is a cost that she'll want to measure. I'm not telling her what to do. I'm simply saying that cost applies to much more than money.
With all decision making, the true question is, what's the true cost--in all areas? Energy has a cost. Time has a cost. Putting out negative energy toward another person has a cost, and not attending to relationship has a cost.
Let's apply this to writing.
As a writer, if I don't spend time writing, what's the cost--to my mind and heart?
As a writer, if I don't finish my book, what's the cost--emotionally?
As a writer, if I don't spend time and energy learning to better my craft, what's the cost--in the finished product?
As a writer, if I write but don't put in my best emotionally, what's the cost--to the finished product, my readers, my future?
As a writer, if I count the cost of writing as time only, then what is the cost to me emotionally, at the end, when I never finished that writing piece that I always wanted to write?
Cost has more than one dimension, doesn't it?
Wow, scanned through some of these...treasure trove. Thanks!
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