#878 Pay Me Now or Pay Me Later

When I was a kid, there was a TV commercial for Fram oil filters. In it, the mechanic held up a greasy engine part and said, “This is a main bearing, it costs about $200 to replace.” Then he held up the oil filter and said, “And this is a Fram oil filter. It costs about $4.00. If the guy who owns this car had bought the filter, chances are he wouldn’t need the bearing job. It’s up to you. You can pay me now (he shows the $4.00 filter) or pay me later.”

That commercial was genius; as a life metaphor. In life, if you don’t do the harder things now, your life will be harder later.

·       Exercise now or suffer limited mobility and inertia later

·       Eat reasonably now or suffer ill health later

·       Save now or suffer leanness in retirement

·       Lead with love now or suffer loneliness later

·       Plan now or suffer uncertainty later

·       PAY ME NOW OR PAY ME LATER

There is no scarcity of reasons for not paying now, but most of them are surmountable.

I invite you to join me this week in a bit of future-pacing. Move ahead twenty years. If you’re forty, I want you to approach your 60-year-old self as though that older you is standing right before you. Then I want you to ask him/her for a bit of advice. “Hey, there 60-year-old me. Tell me, what you think I ought to be doing now in the areas of my health, work, and relationships?”

What do you think your old self will advise you? Sit around more? Take on more credit card debt? Mail it in at work? Be cold, uncaring, resentful, and non-communicative in your personal relationships?

Please do this earnestly. Take one or two crucial subjects and ask older you what to do. Sit in this conversation for a good while and listen. Then take some notes and make some changes with the clarity and confidence of knowing that you’ve got your back.

LOOK FOR A SEPARATE EMAIL THIS WEEK WITH THE BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS I GOT FROM SOME OF YOU. IF YOU HAVE NOT SENT ANY, HERE IS YOUR LAST CHANCE

Own your sales gene…