Everything Has a Price

Everything has a price. Are you willing to pay it?

At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, one of the world’s great technology universities, new students are asked to choose two from the following: friends, grades, or sleep.

The point, of course, is that one cannot have all three.

The concept that “everything has a price” is similar to “opportunity costs” that economists refer to. For example, if you watch a television program, rather than read a book, you have lost the time that could have been devoted to reading. The opportunity cost was in losing reading time. That would have been the price you spent for watching television.

The principle is simple—yet it can be life-changing. Simply ask yourself, “What is the price I am paying for doing what I am about to do?” When you do, you will have a tendency to perform that which is in your best interests.

So remember, you have the freedom to choose your actions. Just become aware of the price you are paying.

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