Which would you prefer?
To live an unhappy but successful life…
(based on
society’s usual definition of success)
…or a happy but unsuccessful life?
Hold that thought for a moment while I tell you about a similar choice I was given
recently.
A choice by none other than the slick, smooth and systematic operation that is Hackney Council.
The choice came via the mediaeval medium of
letter.
And when I held the unopened letter in my hands and spotted the Hackney Council logo in the corner of the envelope, I felt a warm glow in my chest.
What
treasures might be contained within!
And when I opened the envelope, my heart leaped for joy.
Because the letter explained that there’d been a miscalculation on the
service charge figures for my block of flats. And that I’d been undercharged a high three figure sum.
And the council had been so thoughtful that they’d given me a choice:
I could pay the outstanding amount instantly…
Or I could pay it in instalments.
God bless
Hackney Council!
Now, you may detect a hint of sarcasm. And you’d be right.
But what the boneheads at Hackney Council
had proposed was actually a genius move.
Offering me two choices was a way to placate me and make me feel like I was in control. Despite their balls-up.
And it worked. It did placate me.
Of course, I wasn’t really being offered a meaningful choice.
The choice was an illusion. A tool. A way to get me to do what they wanted me to do.
And this is something to watch out for.
Whether you’re at work or at home, keep an eye on people who give you choices.
(those sneaky, sneaky tricksters!)
Of course, they might have your best interests at heart.
But they might not. They might be luring you into their snare instead.
So I suggest seeing choices as an invitation.
An invitation to choose what YOU want, despite the options you’ve been presented with…
An invitation to combine choices or come up with new possibilities…
Or an invitation to reject the choices – or even the question – altogether.
That’s my two pennies’ worth.
So back to the original question…
And whether you’d prefer to be happy and unsuccessful, or unhappy and successful.
What did you say?
Well, it doesn’t really matter.
It’s not a fair question. I’ll let you off the hook.
Because the truth is you
can have either. Or neither. Or both. Or anything else you want.
It’s totally up to you.
That’s all for today.
Have a great weekend.
- Tom
p.s. Whenever you're ready, here are the ways you can connect with me