Competing goals
You can’t have your cake and it too. If you eat it, you no longer have it. Then again, what’s the point of having it if you don’t eat it. Goals are often like this, competing with another.
I want to reduce our debt and increase our savings. I can do one quickly or both slowly. I would also love to have a small sailboat to get out on the local lakes. If I pursue that dream, it may prevent me from progressing on the other two goals.
Delayed gratification has some benefits. Eliminating debt means paying less interest, saving money in the long run. Once the debt is paid off, the money that was used for monthly payments is now available for other things. The other approach, making unnecessary purchases while we have debt means paying more interest, costing more money in the long run.
Every choice you make is a compromise. When you focus on one thing, you give up the ability to focus on something else. If you refuse to make choices, you’re unable to focus on anything. “Jack of all trades, master of none.”
How do you decide where to focus your effort (or whether to focus at all)?
Hopefully, my questions cause you to reflect on your own thinking, relationships or choices. Maybe I even inspire you to make positive changes.
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