July 17th, 2018
The Value of a Life(time)
We underestimate the magnitude of change that can occur over a lifetime.
We tend to see our present as static, when in reality, the smallest of changes can create a tremendous ripple effect.
A single drop of water can erode rock to form a canyon.
A butterfly flapping its wings in one part of the world can cause a hurricane elsewhere (see: Butterfly Effect).
A kind word can change or save a life.
According to author and former dot com executive, Seth Godin, an Apple upgrade that breaks a single consumer's phone and causes them to switch to Android costs Apple over $10,000.
A single person switching supermarkets because the clerk was rude costs the store $50,000 of ongoing revenue.
A child that had a detrimental teacher or who was bullied might "decrease his productivity for the rest of us by a million dollars."
The upshot is that the immediate effects of what we do (whether positive or negative) is overshadowed by the long-term effects.
Over time, one-off errors and missteps fade away. Our mistakes do not define us.
Over time, small things become big things. Habits matter.
No comments:
Post a Comment