You always have options

Every choice is just a matter of whether to accept the consequences

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning,
This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's
tip is to remember that you almost always have options.
You may feel like your life is entirely determined by

(00:25):
requirements and circumstances, but more often than not, you do
have choices. The question is whether you are comfortable with
the whole package of what a choice entails. Today's tip
comes from Oliver Berkman's book Meditations for Mortals. Berkman points

(00:47):
out that it is almost never the case that you
don't have options. You don't actually have to go to work,
you don't have to floss your teeth. It's just that
those options come with consequences, So you have to weigh
the appeal of the whole package of the option plus
its consequences. If you don't go to work, you might

(01:10):
not get paid or perhaps keep the job for long.
If you don't fluss, you might have cavities or gum trouble.
And these are options. They just might not be appealing
options once you consider the whole package. Starting from the
premise that you almost always have options, but options come

(01:32):
with consequences, Berkman reframes the decision. The only two questions
at any moment of choice in life, he says, are
what the price is and whether or not it's worth paying. Now,
I'm going to go out on a limb and say
that for most of us, we are probably wise to

(01:52):
choose to go to work. But you won't be surprised
to know that I have decided that I don't have
to tidy the house before bedtime, or buy on trend
clothes every season, or cook meals from scratch every night.
Whatever consequences come with those choices are ones I am
willing to accept. Berkman even refers to my work and

(02:16):
his meditation about how you always have choices. He quotes
me telling people that there is no eleven pm home
inspection with someone coming around to see if all the
toys are picked up. You really can relax and take
some time for yourself at night, even if your house
is a wreck. There are no grave consequences that come

(02:40):
with that option. So if your schedule feels overwhelming, or
you think some aspect of your life is inescapable, think again.
You don't have to get up at four am to
pack lunches for your kids and exercise and put on
makeup and dry your hair before work. What would happen

(03:02):
if your kids bought school lunch and you did a
five minute beauty routine instead of a longer one, or
perhaps didn't exercise every day. You don't have to stay
in your current job because you assume you will never
find one that pays as well. You could at least
look for a new job. It is entirely possible that

(03:22):
you will find one that pays just as well or better.
And if you find a great job that pays less, well,
maybe a salary cut is a consequence that is worth
it to get a job you are excited about. So
when you hear yourself talking about what you have to
do or what you can't do, consider the option you

(03:45):
would prefer and return to Berkman's questions, what is the
price of doing what you want to do or not
doing what you don't want to do? And is that
price worth paying? I would love to hear what you decide.
You can reach me at Laura at Laura vandercam dot com.

(04:09):
In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and
here's to making the most of our time. Thanks for
listening to before Breakfast If you've got questions, ideas, or feedback,

(04:29):
you can reach me at Laura at Laura vandercam dot com.
Before Breakfast is a production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts
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