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The True Cost of Everything
© 2004 Paula Langguth Ryan
Henry David Thoreau once said that "the cost of a thing is the
amount of what I call "life" which is required to be exchanged for
it immediately or in the long run."
Most of us are putting off things this month that will wind up
costing you more in the long run, in time, energy, missed
opportunities.
Maybe you're putting off paying anything on your debts because
you're afraid to tell creditors how much you can afford to pay them
each month, because you're afraid they won't accept your small
payment, afraid they will try and garnish your wages, or a hundred
other reasons. Your true cost in the long run may be that you wind
up with a stress-related health condition from dodging creditor
phone calls, or you wind up ruining your credit for years
Maybe you're putting off telling someone you love how you truly feel
about them because you're afraid they don't feel the same about you,
won't want to take a chance on love again, or a hundred other
reasons. The true cost may be that you wind up spending the rest of
your life without the person you truly love, pining away for "what
might have been" or "what wasn't said." It's like the country
song "It's a Little Too Late."
Or maybe what you're putting off doesn't seem so life-altering.
Maybe you're putting off having your car serviced, fixing a small
leak in the gutters, ironing the clothes you'll need for work next
week, cleaning out the fridge, sorting through your tax papers,
making a phone call, and so on.
Make a quick list of 4 things you're putting off doing, because you
currently feel you lack enough time, energy, money or knowledge to
take care of them. Then write down the true cost of what they may
mean. Does the cost of having your car towed at an inconvenient
time, coordinating rides with others and paying for unexpected
repairs outweigh the cost of having your oil changed this month?
Does the cost of having your roof repaired, having termites removed,
having wet rot cut out of the wood and having your drywall replaced,
repaired and repainted outweigh the cost of getting up on the ladder
with a caulk gun and sealing the leaking gutter?
Does the cost of missing out on a promotion or losing a client
because you're late, harried, or ill-tempered because you had to
take extra time on a busy morning to iron a clean shirt outweigh the
energy it takes to iron clothes for an hour?
This month, when you get the urge to procrastinate, do what
recovering alcoholics do when they get the urge to drink. They walk
themselves through what would happen if they take that first drink,
starting with picking up the glass and ending with falling down in
the gutter and losing everything important to them in the process.
Walk yourself through the true cost of putting off what needs to be
done versus the cost of taking the time, energy and money to do it
now. Then make a conscious choice as to whether or not you want to
pay that price.
This month, cut your costs by taking action on 4 items that would
cost you more if you put them off until later.
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Success and Empowerment Life Coach Paula Langguth Ryan is the author
of "Bounce Back From Bankruptcy" and "Giving Thanks: The Art of
Tithing." A former credit counselor, financial editor and
ghostwriter for national finance magazines, Ryan shows people how to
dissolve fear and create what they truly desire in their lives.
Ryan's clients include Olympic athletes, nationally- renowned
authors and top-notch salespeople. Visit her site at
here for a free monthly Art of Abundance e-
zine or send an email to mailto:paularyan-70559@a...
for a free e-book of Giving Thanks.
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