“High cost wins over low cost in the long run. Build efficiency in the process not effectiveness in the moment.”
Growing up I was accustomed to this common phrase: “If you think education is expensive, try ignorance”. The extent of truth in this statement can’t be downplayed in any way possible. Looking at it, those who play the long range almost always emerge victorious compared to those who play for fast wins. I’m not of the idea that we should stop working on our aspirations with an inclination to get them the soonest possible. On the contrary, I believe it’s important to but ensure you do so with diligence and in a sustainable manner. That phrase I mentioned has been used in the context of education because when you look at the cost of education that has been continuously rising, you’d consider quitting. It may be costly in the short term and super hectic on you but in the end if you do your part, it’ll definitely pay off. This is something I believe we have evidence to support in our surroundings based on the opportunities that having access to education has granted you compared to those who didn’t pursue their education.
I am an advocate and a believer in the power of education to level the playing field for all as well as an enabler for us to achieve our aspirations. That in a way is why it’s easier to use analogies to do with education. To bring clarity, education from my understanding is not supposed to train you to get a job, but rather to help you tap into your ingenuity, find solutions for challenges in your surrounding and make a living solving them. That’s why in our professionals lives we perform certain tasks that are aligned towards solving a challenge others face and earn from it. I’ll not lie that all of us are in this line. A couple do the work because it has a pay which will enable them cater for their needs and solving other people’s problems is just a byproduct of that.
Putting in the initial investment especially when it’s a premium figure whether financial, time consuming, overly exhausting isn’t easy. Most times there is the temptation to take the lighter load and make do with what we can. This might offer the immediate gratification but may not serve you well in the long term. I think this is why people have regrets in their death beds. As an afterthought, why would people be asked about their regrets on their death bed? Why not let them take their final bow in peace? That’s for another day.
I decided to write this article after seeing a post on one of my social media feeds on, “High Maintenance”, and if you can relate in our context it was in the social context of relationships. I couldn’t get to comprehend how it happens that one could feel the pinch in providing for the people they really care about. That is if they do. In essence I acknowledge the costs may be high from time to time but with the initial investment in it, the maintenance becomes a non issue. This is in the sense that if two people come to terms to be in a relationship and work through it on principle rather than convenience, the initial cost may be high but it sets a basis for the future of the whole affair in the long term.
It’s impractical to buy a tenth hand Mercedes and expect it to serve you on the same scale as a brand new Bentley. That’s just out of the norm and if not delusional, then I don’t have a term for it. In order to be able to derive value from anything in the long term, we need to acknowledge that the initial cost may and most likely will be high. However, in the long run, it will be worth it and it’s possible to sustain the momentum of it all.
“Invest upfront for a better outcome in the long run and follow the due process. It’s not easy but it’s possible.”