Every Path Has Opportunity Costs

There is a set of stairs where I work that goes between the 2nd and 3rd floors of the building.  Often, when guests encounter the bottom of the stairs on the 2nd floor, they’ll look up, sigh, and then turn to use the elevator that’s nearby.  This feels like a good metaphor for my working life…

When I’m at work I often think about what other jobs I could do.  Fortunately, being a Security Guard gives me the luxury to think about such things.  I would love to go to Physical Therapy School.  But I don’t want student loans and I don’t want to move cities to be close to a Physical Therapy Program.  Meanwhile, I can take a Google Career Certificate online for about $50/month and complete it in probably 3-4 months.  However, I would only be entering the tech industry for the money. It probably wouldn’t last long as I don’t have intrinsic interest in the field. I want to be able to take my knowledge and build/repair something that you can see.  Medicine, trades, and even fitness offer this.  The challenge with medicine is the cost of education, as mentioned.  With trades it’s the low starting wage.  To be an electrical apprentice here in Arkansas I’d have to take a significant hourly pay cut from my current job, work more hours, and drive a lot more to get to job sites.  With fitness, there are a few rare salaried jobs but they usually require at least a bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science or similar field which leads back to the cost of formal education problem.  I could do personal training but I’ve been down that road and I have no desire to go back. 

Self Improvement and Exercise are where my interests exist.  I’m fortunate in that I have good communication skills.  So, where do I land?  The same place I’ve landed hundreds of times: keep writing and start working on podcasting.  I’ve been on this journey of writing and online content creation for 11 years.  Sometimes you have to love the one you’re with.  But sometimes, when I think about reaching financial stability via online content creation, I feel like those people at the bottom of those stairs, “Damn!  Is there an elevator nearby?!”  

Of course, most people aren’t writers or online content creators.  Also, to be clear, I’m not advocating that everyone try to turn their passion into a career or business. But, if we choose to go that route, we MUST acknowledge the inherent risks of what we’re doing.  Like I said in the last post, I am very sober minded about where I am in life.

From a practical standpoint, I’m 42 years old.  I could reenlist in the military and go to Physical Therapy School through the US Army.  I would need to move to another city for at least 3 years.  That assumes my wife would be okay with it.  By the way, she has her own brick and mortar business she’s still trying to build which means we’d have to do a long distance relationship for 3 years.  Then, there would be several more years of active duty service commitment after school.  For the cost of probably 8 years of my life I can become a Physical Therapist, debt free.  If I started today, I’d be 50 years old by the end.  If I were single and 25 years old, yes, I’d do it.  Married at 42?  It’s not that compelling compared to what I’ve already invested so much of my energy into.  

The reality is, I’m a skilled communicator, I have a very small web presence, and I have a unique life journey to share.  I’ve also been working on this for the past 11 years.  The big risk I think about here is the opportunity costs associated with continuing to pursue a pathway that has historically produced very little money for me.  Said plainly, I may never make any money with this endeavor and I may retire from the working world as a Security Guard.  Obviously, if that is the case, I lose out on the money I could have made as a Physical Therapist.  I could retire much earlier with much better retirement income.  But, if I go that route, there’s the risk of, “What if I had just kept going as a writer and content creator?”  

I’ve also been asking myself other questions for the last 11 years, “Can I do both? Is there another pathway that I can pursue locally, that allows me to develop new skills while I continue to write and podcast? Will I still have the time to train Fitness and Martial Arts the way I want to? Will I still have time to spend with my wife, family, and friends the way I want to?”

Every path has opportunity costs.  For instance, yesterday at work, I spent the entire shift stretching and exercising different parts of my lower body.  I also demonstrated two stretches to a coworker to help him with some hip/knee discomfort he’s having.  I’ve written about recovering from chronic back pain and an old ankle injury and feeling more athletic than I ever have.  Being a Security Guard allows me to explore these new capacities in a way that no other job I’ve encountered or thought of, will.  This, while also providing a modest stable income and being virtually stress free. For now, I don’t want to risk losing these benefits. I have spent my entire life wanting to be an athlete.  I have also spent my entire life worrying about injuring my knees and managing chronic pain in my knees.  I’ve spent a good portion of my adult life worried about when my back was going to go out and what would trigger it.  To be in my 40’s and relatively free of the worry about pain that I once carried all the time, is just too compelling for me to risk losing it.  Furthermore, to be able to encourage others on their own journey through life by sharing my story… And to be able to say it from the standpoint of having a very regular modest job and income (Which I think lends credibility to what I say)?  It’s far too compelling to me.  So I acknowledge the risk and keep moving forward.

Whether I choose to stay a Security Guard or do something else… Whether I choose to write about Self Improvement or do something else… Whether I choose to keep exploring my body’s potential or do something else… Every choice has opportunity costs and downside risks.  It has been my experience that resilience against the inevitable difficulties of life starts with choosing a direction that gives me a sense of purpose.  Having a sense of purpose helps me understand why I am fighting through adversity and why I am seeking to gracefully navigate the inevitable suffering of life along the way. Also, acknowledging the opportunity costs, risks, and potential unknowns of a specific choice, helps me mitigate risk and not be surprised when life punches me hard in the face.  Again, you fight through adversity.

No easy paths in life.  Just becoming more self aware, more mature, more resilient, and developing stronger character to more easily bear the weight of life.  

No excuses.  Focus on getting better.

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