It's Gonna Cost You

Although I do not consider myself an expert on microeconomics, lately I've been thinking a lot about opportunity costs.

The New Oxford American Dictionary defines opportunity costs as "the loss of potential gain from other alternatives when one alternative is chosen."  For example, you might decide to go to school before pursuing a career, believing the potential income earned after obtaining your degree will make up for the income lost while attaining it.

Theoretically the concept is most useful when applied to making everyday decisions about how best to spend limited time or money or even calories.  Six raspberries or one M & M?  Go to a concert or buy a Bose? 

Since I've been making many life changing decisions this year I have had to consider not just the cost of doing something, but the cost of not doing something.

With this in mind, I decided it would cost me more not to attend the Blogher Conference in San Jose next week and find my midlife blogger tribe than to attend. 

Lo and behold, the planets aligned, the frequent flyer miles added up, and I did enough blogging to throughout the year to take myself seriously enough to run with the big dogs, or big blogs, as the case may be.  Not one single thing about the trip is guaranteed, except the room, of course.

I learned early on that leaps of faith are not for the faint of heart.  No, no, no. Payment is required in full and up front regardless of the outcome.

So yes, my big adventure is going to cost me.  Just like giving up sugar and flour and pasta has cost me.  Like getting braces will cost me.  Like revamping my website will cost me.

But lessons that come with a cost are not easily forgotten.  Perhaps that's why we gladly pay in terms of time, money, discipline, dedication, and occasionally, disgust.  We are hard wired to work for our rewards.  If they come too easily, we feel unworthy of them.

So next week when I am sufficiently humbled by bloggers half my age doing outrageously bold and brilliant things without once doubting that they can, please remind me I am capable of the same things.  And I will gently remind you with every subsequent post that the cost of your dreams is worth every penny.

Share your dream if you dare below.  And please make the move over to www.pennyplautz.com and sign  up to follow me there.  Your emails will arrive beautifully formatted in your Inbox as soon as they are published.