A bird in the hand

Today’s thoughts are about making the judgement call when choosing between certainty in what we know vs uncertainty in what could be. So basically, it is about FOMO and specifically career FOMO.

There are many arguments for the status quo that can be summed up in a few phrases. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush is a popular one. Then there is Winston Churchill’s quote “You will never reach your destination if you stop and throw stones at every dog that barks”. The one trending these days goes “Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should“. Not sure who it can be attributed to but I think it has wide application in life. It is great advice for anyone harbouring thoughts of murder for example.

Then there is the famous 10 thousand hour rule made popular by Malcolm Gladwell. That it takes 10 thousand hours to gain expert proficiency in anything. All great arguments to having a plan and sticking to it. But here is the rub from a career perspective, what is the opportunity cost of sticking to your strategy? Basically, are you confident that your plans will ultimately reap more rewards for you than the many opportunities that cross your path that you decline along the way?

Some opportunities never return and leave us with a sunk emotional cost of what could have been. Some opportunities have the potential to change the entire trajectory of our lives and have done that. But some involve great risk and great cost when they don’t pay off. I’ve personally witnessed the impact of entrepreneurs losing their businesses during an economic downturn. I’ve also witnessed people change jobs abandoning a stable and long career for a more lucrative opportunity. Only to find their new employers retrenching them during hard times.

How will you evaluate the potential of doing something new and amazing, with the stability of staying the course? My view is that life is worth living and it is worth pursuing opportunities that make sense in the moment. Only time will show wether it was a good or bad decision. But the process of making good and bad decisions is part of life itself.