Pay Day

I have a peculiar habit of departing for the airport well before any reasonable human would. My beloved wife never misses an opportunity to mock me on this point. This past Monday, I grabbed my suitcase and inched toward the door. By my calculation, I’d arrive at Boston’s Logan Airport 90 minutes before my domestic flight with only my carry-on luggage. No stress, no worries. She flashed me a wry smile. “Cutting it a little close, aren’t you?”

As luck would have it, my hyper-punctuality proved extremely useful. For some inexplicable reason, my otherwise uneventful drive to the airport bogged down in the final mile. When I first stopped, I didn’t panic. I simply thought, “Who’s laughing now, Little Miss Laughs at the Early Man?” It was a small moment to be sure, but one I savored all the same. After 20 minutes, though, I hadn’t moved more than a car length. My thoughts quickly changed to “Oh crap. I might miss this flight.”

After the traffic finally broke, I raced into the Central Parking garage. I grabbed my ticket from the front gate, and I drove up the spiral concrete ramps toward the open parking levels. The upper level ramps were blocked, so I was forced onto Level 3, the Boston Marathon level. I usually park on levels 4 and up, but whatever. I was in a hurry.

Suddenly, I ran into a problem. Concrete barriers blocked my access to the spaces that were nearest my terminal. I was forced to drive in the opposite direction, and I finally parked in the adjacent garage. I stopped the car, grabbed my luggage, and walked briskly across the connecting bridge.

As I passed through the barriers and approached the terminal, I was frustrated to see dozens and dozens of open parking spaces right outside the terminal doors. Why hadn’t I been allowed to park where I wanted, particularly when I was in such a hurry? I stopped to ask the parking attendant what gives. He informed me that those spaces were reserved for PASSport Gold parking members, and because I hadn’t paid for the privilege of parking there, it wasn’t going to happen. I can’t be sure, but I think he also threw in a muffled comment about my stylish wheelie.

Inside the terminal, I got my boarding pass, breezed through security, and arrived at the gate. By the time it was my turn to get on – I think I was in Zone 37 or something equally ridiculous – I lumbered past the First Class passengers. They had been sitting comfortably for some time. Some were on their second gin and tonic, and I swear one woman had just been treated to a killer mani-pedi. They rolled their eyes in my general direction as if to say, “Would you mind stowing your little girl bag in the overhead bin so we can get going?”

I nestled into the coveted middle seat in row number “suck” toward the back of the plane. I looked at the weary coach passengers in the row in front of mine, and I immediately recognized one of them as none other than Mitt Romney. Now Mitt is a successful businessman, organizer of the 2002 Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, and a successful politician. What was he doing sitting with me next to the lavatory? The answer was immediately clear. On this particular flight, he hadn’t paid for the privilege of First Class treatment.

In reflecting on these two situations, I came to realize that “paying for the privilege” is an essential phenomenon in any goal pursuit. Nothing worth having in life is given away for free. Fortunately, not all goals and aspirations cost money, but most require some combination of your time, energy, effort, and psychic oomph.

Here’s an example. For the past month, I’ve been waking up at 5AM almost every day. Each morning, I’ve popped a home fitness DVD into my MacBook so I can sweat to the oldies. I’ve also been trying to eat better, as well, opting for plenty of fruits and veggies while easing off the drinks and desserts.

The other day, I had just finished a morning workout. My young son looked at me and said, “You’re not as fat as you used to be.” Thanks, son. I now realize that I’ve clearly paid for that privilege. I’ve paid in the form of the sleep I’ve passed up, the delicious calories I’ve passed up, and a little sweat and soreness along the way.

Consider the most important change you’d like to make in your life. It might be related to your family, your career, your health, your wealth, your relationships, or whatever floats your boat. It’s important to have some focus here, since nobody can afford all the perks in life. Not me, not Mitt, and not you. So choose wisely.

Once you’ve chosen your goal, commit to yourself that you’ll pay for the privileges that accompany that goal attainment. When it comes to the Achievers Club, membership definitely has its privileges.

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Bodacious Tip:

Commit to pay for the privileges that will accompany your goal achievement.