Opportunity Cost: Reopening Your Box & the Relative Value of Habits
It’s okay to not have a ton of habits — as long as you’re learning along the way.
You’ve heard the age-old saying: Humans are creatures of habit. We find something we like, and we do it over… and over… and over again. Oftentimes, we’re afraid to step out of our comfort zone, or “box,” and try something new. It’s what makes us unique but in the same vein, it’s also what makes us all the same.
But what if our own box is holding us back? We’re a product of the things we put in it. While some of us have kept the same items for years, others have added and removed things as they saw fit. If you close your box and tape it shut, you have to live with whatever’s inside it. That’s fine, as long as you made the right choices. It’s a rare case. For most of us, sealing that box could be catastrophic.
Perhaps the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do is develop any sort of routine. I’m still struggling with it. Until recently, pretty much the only things I’ve been able to stick with are things everyone does. Taking a shower, brushing my teeth, eating, etc. You know, the basics. Everything else — homework, cleaning, taking care of my mental health, and so much more — was done with no specific rhyme or reason behind it. Writing is the only non-basic activity I’ve stuck with for an extended period of time.
I’m serious. I played violin in elementary school. After learning so much over a two-year span, I stopped. The same thing happened with the trombone a couple of years later. I joined my middle school debate team, won two trophies at my first tournament, then left for good. My coach called my mom and told her that I was the top middle school policy debater in the latest power rankings, seemingly in an effort to get me to come back. It didn’t matter. I got good, then called it a day. It wasn’t for me.
What I’ve noticed is that in doing just the basics repeatedly, I’ve robbed myself of so much more. I had to teach myself how to stop trying to close the box and trap myself. It’s taken much longer than I anticipated for me to realize that, but I finally had that breakthrough moment. It’s possible to do what you’re supposed to do and have other things you like. It’s also possible to find out you don’t like those things, then decide to move on. Keep the damn box open.
Recently, I’ve been waking up earlier. I eat the same breakfast pretty frequently. I’ve read more for leisure in the past few weeks than I have since I graduated high school. Golf, as terrible as I am at it, has become my go-to outdoor pastime. These are examples of the good habits I want to build — and hopefully, keep.
Does it matter if I don’t turn these trends into habits? Not really, at least to me. Part of having an open box is knowing that you have the option to toss things out or welcome in new things at any time. Once you reach that level of understanding, you become more focused on the process instead of the result.
I don’t view all of this as me being a quitter. A quitter, by definition, is “a person who quits or gives up easily, especially in the face of some difficulty, danger, etc.” Quitters only quit when things become hard. It takes true bravery to give up something you’re good at, but not passionate about.
It takes an even greater level of bravery and confidence to embrace trying new things in the face of non-guaranteed or unforeseen outcomes. Many people will stay with the job they like or can tolerate instead of taking the job they might love because they’re comfortable with where they’re at.
Keep the damn box open. Process > Result. Be comfortable with being uncomfortable. Most of the pressure we feel is a direct reflection of how we view ourselves. That’s another topic for another day, though. Until next time…
“The cost of opportunities is always good to know. But if you know that, then you’re good to go.” -G