Tip: Is what you are doing worth what it is costing you?

I think it is very important to take a moment to ask ourselves a serious question. Our very life may depend upon it! The question is simply this: “Is what I am doing worth what it is costing me?” I think this question is vitally important because it will not only determine the outcome of our life, but when we take the time to ask and answer that question, it will also create a process that will guide us to the end of our journey. Perhaps a couple of illustrations will help explain what I am talking about.

We have all experienced the holidays; a family get together or eating to celebrate a special occasion. If you are anything like me, you probably occasionally eat a little bit too much food. But, who can pass it up? Everyone puts out their very best dishes for us to sample and they are delicious! I suppose it is permissible to indulge one’s self occasionally, but if we eat like that all of the time, then what we are doing will definitely not be worth what it will cost us. We may pay dearly for an attitude of “living to eat” rather than “eating to live.” The health issues that are likely to arise may cost us lost time from work and/or time lost with family and friends.

I am not picking on anyone, but another great example is smoking. I know an individual who has already passed away because they could not let go of the cigarette habit. In the end, it cost them their life. If they were alive today and you could ask them the question, “Is what you were doing worth what it cost you?” I am confident that they would say, “No.” I have never been addicted to nicotine so I do not personally know how difficult it is to give up that habit. However, I have had many close friends who have been addicted to it and they tell me that it is one of the most difficult habits in the entire world to break. Yet, like other challenging habits, if that is what you are doing, it will in time, have a pay day. And, like my friend, it may cost you your life.

I had a friend humorously once told me, concerning his finances, “I am tired of spending money that I do not have, to buy things I do not need, to impress people I do not like!” You see, he finally woke up to the fact that he did not like what he was doing because of what it was costing him!

Let’s also look at this from a positive perspective. If we seek every day to be a blessing and an encouragement to other people, then that will certainly be worth the cost. Going out of our way to be nice to someone and extending to them love and kindness may indeed cost us time and effort, but it will pay rich rewards in our lives and theirs for years to come.

It takes so little extra effort to go out of our way to do something kind or nice for another person or to say something especially helpful. Not only is it easy to do, but it pays rich dividends. For instance, we recently had dinner at a restaurant and afterwards I asked to speak to the manager. When he came to the table, we told him how much we all had enjoyed the dinner and had a great time. He not only went back into the kitchen and got us a free dessert to go, but he also walked with us out to the parking lot. I thought he was going to get in the car and go home with us! What I had been seeking to do was to make him feel good about our experience in his restaurant that night. It cost me less than a minute of sincere thanks, yet it made his entire evening go a lot better!

So again, this principle can work for us or against us. I know that in my daily life I am going to be seeking worthy goals. I realize everything I am going to do cost me something and I have decided that I might as well make the price of the things I am going to do beneficial to myself and others! Will you join me? I can already hear you saying, “Yes”!