It’s always wise to look beyond the easy decision at hand and consider whether it might put you in a difficult position later.
Some examples:
- Spending more than you earn on vanity purchases may not be an issue when you’re in a good financial position. But, when circumstances inevitably shift, you could find yourself on shaky ground.
- Choosing the cheaper alternative might feel like you are saving. You may avoid the upfront cost of something more expensive, but you might end up paying more to fix the issues caused by the cheaper option. Cheaper in the moment rarely works out to be cheaper overall.
- You skip investing in your annual health check-up, only to spend more on medical intervention later.
- In trying to save time, you cut corners on a task only to lose out on credibility when there is an evaluation.
Life is full of situations where the tide will be against you. To be in a good position in those tough times, you must do the hard things when times are good.
Unfortunately, this runs counter to human nature. Nobody wants to make the hard choices when things are going well, even if making the hard choices now gives you a huge advantage when things get tough.