This week one of the pieces of news that caught my attention was about a bridge which has connected New Jersey and New York for over 100 years and is going to be replaced. This bridge was built when we weren't building bridges that were structurally tall all the time so boats could just continue on under without delay, but when bridges had to be raised or lowered to let boats or cars through, depending on which was moving through at the time. In a place that has as much car and boat traffic as NY does, this can delay travel for everyone for a long time, which is one of the reasons why the new bridge will be a tall one that boats can fit under.
As I was reading what one of my local political officials who has been part of this project had to say about why this bridge is so important, it reminded me why we have to update things in our lives and in our success journeys. He reminded that as useful as the current bridge is and as completely capable as the 100-year-old technology is, we have the ability to update things so that we're not losing many hours to delays and malfunctions, and it makes less sense to keep the existing and functioning technology than it does to spend the money on building a new and better bridge.
It brought me back to that question that I ask often: why am I considering this change and will it really help me get where I want to go? Will this change really bring a notable difference to my life? Will this change increase productivity or peace? Will the change be an improvement on what's always been done/how things have been done in the past? Will this positively impact both the short term in my life and the bigger picture as well? And maybe most importantly: how much freedom will I gain from making this change?
In the case of this bridge, yes it's obvious that the investment of time and resources will bring a significant improvement to the region over time. But what about other success situations? Do you really need another app? Do you really need another meeting? Do you really need to make multiple trips to the store each week? Do you need to say "yes" to another commitment? Do you need to purchase that "upgrade" item or do you have another purchase (or debt payment) that should be made first? Do you need the most expensive home improvement features and upgrades or will decent ones work well for you? Do you need another item on your "to do" list or is it just a procrastination to getting anything done?
The next time you have a good idea, make sure that it's going to be something truly helpful for your future and worth the investment that you're not only going to put into it, but also the sacrifices that are going to be made so that this project goes ahead and the other ones you're considering don't. How do you decide what's worth investing in?
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