One of the toughest elements in dealing with life is coming
to terms with the very real and ever present “Cost of Living” … more
particularly, with the investment required to prepare adequately… never mind
MORE than adequately … for the future.
It’s also one of the toughest concepts to convey to
unsuspecting neophytes.
Here’s the problem: The “future” is so far from the
“present”, and the present so very “present”.
And as long as the future stays in the future, the present should simply
be given its due as the “present” … as it always has.
Ain’t life
grand!
And, besides, there’s so much MORE of the future available
to deal with the future [Procrastinators Anonymous, take note!] than there is of
the present to deal with the present.
DUH!
Moreover, we get this admonition from Biblical teaching:
“Take therefore no thought for the morrow:
for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself.” Matthew 6:34 (KJV)
Wow! So this makes
life appear to be very much akin to “Just-In-Time” manufacturing: Whatever you need in the future, you will simply
deal with in the future … so one need not stockpile stuff ahead of time,
particularly stuff (like algebra?) that you may or may not ever need.
Toyota uses just-in-time inventory controls as part of its business model. Toyota sends off orders for parts only when it receives
new orders from customers. The company started this method in the 1970s, and it
took more than 15 years to perfect. Several elements of just-in-time
manufacturing need to occur for Toyota to succeed. The company must have steady
production, high-quality workmanship, no machine breakdowns at the plant,
reliable suppliers and quick ways to assemble machines that put together
vehicles. http://www.investopedia.com/terms/j/jit.asp#ixzz4JIH1Oep2
But one doesn’t have to read
very far between the lines on Just-In-Time manufacturing to understand that,
for JIT to happen “just in time”, a whole lot of ground work, preparation and infrastructure
has-to-already-have-been-DONE. [One
might ask: Who’s stockpiling the tools, skills and raw materials for filling
all those “Just-In-Time” orders?]
And so it is in life! There’s got to be an awful lot happening
behind the curtain to make the show go on!!
Consider, further, the fact that the Biblical
teaching contains a very ominous and foreboding afterthought:
“Sufficient unto the day is the
evil thereof.”
Whoa!
Contrary to first
impressions and our own inclinations, it seems that anything one could do to
minimize “the evil thereof” might be
prudent!
But, for those who finally
and firmly understand the concept of preparing for the future, the “understanding”
doesn’t make it any easier.
First, there’s the required
core time and effort trade-off:
How much of today do I give up
in order to prepare for a more
prosperous future?
It’s really a question of
indulgence and immediate versus delayed gratification:
How much do I invest in MAKING
life easy
instead of simply TAKING life
easy?
One is tempted – or DRIVEN –
also to ask: “When is it MY TURN?”
[One answer may be that
“It’s YOUR turn NOW
to hunker down
and get with the program!”]
While the “Cost of Living”
is considerable – and the cost of “Living WELL can seem, at times, imponderable
or insufferable – due-diligence investments generally pay off with significant dividends. Where possible or necessary, become a
Ninja Warrior on stuff that needs to be done!
And find PURPOSE and MEANING in even the most mundane, even if it’s
simply to keep you from tripping over things on your way to more purposeful and more meaningful pursuits.
The most satisfied and fulfilled are those who can find joy in the
simplest things.
“Before I was a boxer, I was a dishwasher. I was great!
I was the best dishwasher ever.
I’d get through doing my job; my dishes were so nice and clean … so I’d
mop the floors. I out-mopped the floor
mopper. Then I would help the cooks peel
the potatoes. I was the best there was.” Future Schmoocher George Foreman
And don’t miss the thrill of
ultimately overcoming the odds!
Quartermaster
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