Spoilt for choice, or choices spoilt?

I was buying an audio book the other day.  

And I was in the mood for a good book – there wasn't something in particular I was looking for.  I just wanted something on leadership.  

After 40 minutes (!!!), I ended up with five books in the shopping trolley and no idea what to do next.  I was completely stuck – it was like my mind was paralysed by the options I had available to me.

There was a book written by an author I've read (and enjoyed) before.

Two books had names that I found really intriguing.

Then there was a book recommended to me by a friend.

And with the last one, it was the summary blurb I what I found interesting and it made me press the ‘buy now’ button.

They were all fascinating in their own right and they all were what I was looking for.  

But there I was, sitting at my desk, completely frozen with no idea which one to choose.  

It was all going so well – I narrowed down the 25 search results to a shortlist of five, but I couldn’t get any further.

Did the muse leave me there at the crucial moment?

I wanted to pick the best one – the best of the best!!!  With work and kids, I don’t get a lot of time to relax and enjoy a really good, stimulating book, and so that time one-on-one with a good book is too precious for me to waste on the wrong book.

Unable to move any further, I ended up getting distracted by my kids, I turned off the laptop and didn't make a purchase...

It took me a good few weeks before I was able to go back and buy something. 

And guess what, I ended up buying one of the ones looked at previously.  I didn't bother with shortlists this time around – I just went in and bought the one that was recommended by someone I trust.

Because of that, I've got a good read waiting for me at the end of the day.  I’m really enjoying the book, and I'm so glad I went back and bought it.

It seems like everywhere you look these days, there’s yet another choice that has to be made.  Big choices, small choices, important choices, insignificant choices - they all seem to weigh us down and put pressure on us to get it right - to make the best choice.

The concept of the best is clouding our vision. 

It doesn't have to be that way. Once we allow ourselves to have the freedom to trust and be guided by an objective point of view, the weight is lifted. 

A choice made will always be better than the one you plan to make (one day).

by Michal Bodi

Have you had a similar experience? I'd love you to share with me.

You don't pay me for my time...

I recently had to go to an eye specialist. 

The guy I went to was recommended to me as the best in his field.

I showed up at the clinic on time, feeling a little nervous and unsure of what was happening next.  

One of his assistants explained the process to me step by step.  I was really grateful for that – I was getting a little freaked out, thinking about someone sticking sharp tools into my eye while I was watching!

I had to wait a little longer and then I was taken through to the surgery. The doctor’s assistants and a nurse started preparing my eye – cleaning the skin around it, putting on the protective material, adjusting the lights and laying out all the tools.  

I was laying there for about 20 minutes before the actual specialist came in.  He sat down next to me, looked into my eye and did a few tiny but precise moves with his tools.  Within a minute he was done and said, ‘There you go, all fixed.’  I thought, ‘wow, that was quick!’

As I was waiting to pay, l there was a guy in front of me who’d had the same procedure.  ‘That’s $745, sir,’ said the secretary.

He shook his head and said, ‘Wow, that a hell of an hourly rate!’  

The specialist overheard him.  He came out of his office and walked over to the guy.  He smiled and calmly said, ‘You don’t pay me for my time.’  Then he turned around and went back to his office.  He didn't need to say anything else.

I was gobsmacked!  This guy was spot on!  I immediately thought of the work I do with my clients.

Even though it takes me a little more than a few minutes to do my job, it’s not about billable hours, or the amount of time I spend in front of my client.  The value is somewhere else - It’s about the outcomes we can achieve together. The outcomes they care about.

I help them build the fundamentals which lead to the life my clients want to live.  

The value of that can rarely be expressed in numbers. 

by Michal Bodi

I thrive on a feedback, please let me know what you think, drop me a line to mbodi@sydneyfinancialplanning.com.au or simply comment on this article. I'd really love to hear from you.