The cost of inaction
Think about life, although this simplistic definition falls short, as a brief period where we inhabit this beautiful place we call Earth, while each one of us deals with good situations and others not so good that continuously forge who we are. These “ups and downs” phases make us go through contrasting experiences, some of them delightful, enjoyable, and amusing while others entail undesirable situations we wish we wouldn’t have to deal with. Nonetheless, it is almost inevitably, to not say impossible, avoid going through these unpleasant events.
Fortunately, there are always ways to jump back from these unwanted conditions into the pleasant experiences life does offer. However, on some occasions, people seem to be willing to remain immobile in the same circumstances for an indefinite duration — sometimes even forever. For the most part this lack of determination to change the course of personal status — either financial, emotional, social or professional — has as a root cause the fear of taking wrong decisions.
But have you ever thought what is the cost of remaining in an unpleasant stationary situation? Have you ever truly considered what are the consequences of remaining in a condition that causes you nothing but stress, anxiety, and countless of side effects, while negative thoughts about “not being born to succeed” slowly surround you as if you were in the eye of a hurricane.
Thus, the desire of sharing this topic since I believe most people have experienced it at some point in life. I have particularly fallen in a paralysis state where I have remained in situations longer than I would have wanted. Still, thanks to going through these experiences, I have learned what is intended to be shared in this article. A subject that is usually seen from one side of the coin “What is the cost if I decide to do X and result in a huge mistake?” when the other side of the coin, the real question should be “What is the cost of not doing X and remain longer in this phase of my life?”
“The cost of inaction is far greater than the cost of making a mistake” Meister Eckhart
Whenever you think of life and its different phases — the good ones and the no so good — imagine yourself as if you are driving solo in a highway, a long irregular highway to be more specific, sometimes well paved as if you are driving through an interstate in the United States but also sometimes down bumpy trails as if you are going through a hostile rainforest. This highway represents your lifetime, which it often takes you through beautiful landscapes and clear blue skies — representing periods of time where everything seems to be working out perfectly fine in your life — but that also takes you through rough, muddy trails — characterizing phases of your life where an unfortunate series of events make you think a rough patch will be prolonged forever.
This everlasting highway, which if seen from the sky illustrates all our great and tough memories, has a countless number of exits as you drive through it. These multiple exits that you are constantly passing by represent the permanent message of life telling you— “Is there something that you are no comfortable with? If that so, it is upon you to change it. Start by acting and take this exit now!” —
The determination of taking one of the countless numbers of exits that you will encounter along the way symbolizes the first step needed to end any unpleasant situation you might be going through and begin a new phase.
“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.”
– Chinese Proverb
The recognition of not wanting to deal anymore with a hard situation in life — a toxic relationship, a job you dislike, a current financial status — tend to be the trigger, the motivation, of people steering the direction of their car into an exit that would lead the transition from an undesirable circumstance to a better life status — going from bumpy tracks into well-paved highways. However, such awareness of wanting to change life’s current status might constantly be ignored, while the road only seems to get worse and worse, till the point where you feel frustrated and confused about how you let yourself get there in the first place.
Hence, the importance of not running away from reality, otherwise, you will find yourself stuck on a muddy road in the middle of nowhere facing what you have unconsciously been ignoring for a long time — the unappealing status where you currently feel you are in your life. I would like to avoid the notion that I am suggesting to quit your job or move to another country if you feel fulfilled where you are. Just analyze from time to time the most important areas in your life and question yourself if there is anything you would like to change about it.
On the other hand, it is certainly beneficial if you have realized you are not comfortable with an area in your life. Even so, just because one makes an introspection of where you currently are and where you want to be, do not mean that it will take you there out of nowhere. Perhaps, a lot of effort will be required to get from where you are to where you want to be. And it is exactly at this point — the transition that goes from assuming your life needs a change to start doing actions that will take you closer to your goal — where most people get paralyzed by the fear of uncertainties and failures that will be required to get through this path.
It is at this prolonged paralysis period where the cost of inaction exponentially overpass the cost of trying and failing. Hence, the emphasis to not only be aware of the downsides of failure but even more important the downsides that entail remaining in the situation that have been slowly absorbing your determination and optimism to start making changes.
But now you might wonder: What is the cost of inaction?
Remaining actionless for an infinite time can have not only one but different types of costs, and the longer the time of inaction, the worse is the type of costs incurred. These are the four types of costs that I have considered to compile the side effects of getting stuck between words and actions.
The cost of money — The financial consequence of constantly postponing and action to put end to a state. This can go from medium sums of money due to the lack of willingness to stop smoking although continuously mentioning that want to quit, to worse scenarios such as not preparing yourself enough while doing a career/MBA that will lead to losing the invested money.
The cost of goal achievement — One of the greatest and incomparable feelings in life is to achieve a goal after putting a lot of work. Missing out these experiences could make you wonder where is the effort being made getting drained, provoking you to feel empty and shallow as if there were no clear purpose in your life. Then, the usefulness of setting goals that are achievable in the short term to continuously make you feel engaged and closer to the main goal.
The cost of wellness — The emotional cost that entails lasting in a circumstance where one is aware of not being completely stable but still able to deal with. Unfortunately, the urge to not wanting to deal with this period of your life will not remain dormant for a long time, on the contrary, the desire to not having to deal with it will only get bigger. In such a manner, your wellness will also be affected making you frustrated and desperate wondering what should be the action to move over from this situation as quickly as possible.
The cost of time — It is the cost I consider most important since out of all, time is something that cannot be recovered, and even worse, it is the easiest type of cost that may go unnoticed. Every time you are not acting to get you out of a status you want to overcome, there is a cost of time implied. This, for example, can be seen in long relationships, where both aware of their incompatibility but remain together just by the fear of not being alone and having to start from zero, as well as in people stuck in jobs they don’t like while not applying continuously to other jobs, learning new things to find better opportunities, communicating discomfort to their bosses, etc.
Once you have considered the cost of inaction and decide whether or not to take action to give a twist to your current life status, keep in mind this does not mean that your trail will turn out to be perfectly smooth immediately. Even worse, these new actions will take you to new roads that could even give you the impression that you have taken a wrong decision since you most probably will feel less comfortable than in your static — unwanted — situation where you previously were. Nevertheless, since uncertainty is a factor that will always play a key role in every decision in life, one should find ways to minimize uncertainty and maximize the determination of going through unknown roads.
An essential strategy to minimize the fear caused by not knowing the outcome of taking a decision — that will most likely improve a current situation — must be based on setting realistic and small goals. Continuously achieving these realistic and small goals will keep you motivated due to the constant progress, maintaining then your conviction solid in new and uncharted paths, where you will feel more and more comfortable.
Let’s take for instance the goal of getting the job you want. This is a way too broad of a goal, which will immediately cause a big deal of stress since you might not know where to start. The previously mentioned strategy will help you to break down this into small and realistic goals, such as 1) defining the type of job you really want, 2) adapting your CV according to the industry and experience required for the job, 3) constantly applying to jobs that match what you have defined to be of your interest 4) preparing and educating yourself continuously to increase the probability of performing well during the interview. These are small and realistic objectives that are completely under your control, regardless of the main objective, which is to get a new job.
Readers might argue that aside from the gratification generated by the achievements of these small goals, it would still be a waste of effort if the main goal is not accomplished. While I can relate to the disappointment this might cause, I also believe that by setting realistic goals, you would get the satisfaction that you have done everything that was under your control. Furthermore, an unsuccessful outcome shouldn’t make you abandon your goal, but on the contrary, it should push you to think deeply if there is anything that you could do differently than previously to re-try and achieve your main goal.
“It is not failure itself that holds people back; it is the fear of failure that paralyzes you.”
― Brian Tracy
For this reason, one must better learn how to deal with these swings because whether we like or not, life is about ups and downs that will happen countless times, and it is up to you to try and point your life in the direction you want. Unfortunately, sometimes we will get stuck between words and actions in a paralysis state, therefore, the significance to conquer the fear that entails deciding to move from of an undesirable situation to an unknown path that most likely will improve our current status. Otherwise, not dealing with the panic of failing, will not only keep us in the same unwanted circumstances but even worse, it will make us experience the cost of inaction, an incredible amount of regret by letting life pass by us.
Whether you fail one or multiple times while attaining a goal, it is important to remark to not only appreciate the achievements but also enjoy the process. Regardless of how nonsense might sound to appreciate life while being in a stressful phase, these victories wouldn’t be so refreshing if it wasn’t for the fact of all the effort they require to succeed. So, keep in mind that these tough moments are the ones who forge us, the ones that make us look through the mirror into the hostile path that we just went through and left behind, and make us say…“I suffered, I struggled, but it has been a hell of a ride”.
