The cost of your life

I was recently met with a dilemma. A new potential client had called to make an appointment for a consultation with me. This type of opportunity usually fills me with excitement and possibility. But this conversation was different. It took a turn. Here’s why:

As we combed over each other’s schedules in attempts to make a 2-hour appointment for an initial conversation, it became obvious that our availability wasn’t matching up. The client suggested that they would really like to meet on a Thursday morning. I said, “I don’t work on Thursdays.” But he was persistent. And he said all the right things; “I really want to work with you.” “I’ve heard great things about you.” “This would be the best day/time for me.” 

Serving my clients runs deep in my veins. I love to over-deliver, I love to create an absolutely remarkable experience for my clients. And I hate to disappoint. But at this moment with this client, it was a high-stakes decision: Make it easy for the client and give them an appointment they want, or live my ideal life.

Sounds dramatic, right? Decisions like this are dramatic, and should be treated that way. 

My ideal life is staying home with my daughter on Thursdays. So if I agree to make that appointment with the new client on Thursday, the cost is my ideal life.

Too often we miscalculate the cost of our decisions. Or we justify it as “only one time” or “not a big deal”, but our gut tells us it’s not ideal, or even wrong to move forward with it.

So why do it? 

To an outsider, the decision I was faced with seems easy - don’t agree to the Thursday appointment if my priority is to spend time with my daughter. 

But our judgment gets clouded, and for me it was clouded by another priority of mine - to serve my clients. Other reasons we get clouded are to be liked by others or to please others.

So are you willing to trade your ideal life just to please someone else? 

What if I told you you’re likely already doing it?

You do it in the decisions you make. You trade a bit of your ideal life here and there everyday. 

My thoughts…. You’re ideal life isn’t so ideal if you’re willing to give it up so easily. Or you have no idea you’re giving it away. Either way, time to make a change.

PS- wondering what decision I made with the client? I chose not to meet with them. The cost was too high. I perseverated on it afterward for a few hours second guessing my decision. But when Thursday came around, I knew I had made the right decision for me.