TRAGEDY AS MOTIVATOR 001

Many find it is easy to sit comfortably in uncomfortable situations, because moving now to take the initiative may seem daunting and not urgent. However, while they wait for tomorrow to act, their passivity and procrastination is the very opportunity that chaos uses to strike even harder. Therefore, it is wise to know, that once the situation becomes unbearable, for most, it is often too complicated and usually, irreversible.

Real world application:

Congratulations, you just bought your dream car, used, but fully loaded and at a really good price. At the time of the sale, the owner tells you that he has everything, except a spare key. Although it’s a bummer, it isn’t exactly a deal breaker, and so, you happily take the deal because you know its possible to get another key made any time.

A few weeks pass and everything's perfect, except, you realize that you seem to misplace the only key every now and then. Usually, you find it within a few seconds and it’s never caused any major problems - just minor set backs and brief panics here and there. Every time it happens, you tell yourself that you can’t keep doing this, but by the time you find it, feeling relieved, you continue on with your day.

Months pass, and one day, while enjoying a beautiful, relaxing and well deserved trip to the cottage with the family, there’s an emergency. You learn that your young daughter has been stung a few times by wasps and seem to be experiencing an unexpected allergic reaction. In a scramble, you grab your daughter and quickly run to the car. Your main plan is to rush her to the nearest hospital, about 3 miles away to get urgent medical attention.

Only one problem, the car key is nowhere to be found! At some point, during unpacking or the panic, the key has simply been misplaced. You know it couldn't possibly be far, and you've been extra careful since the last time it went missing. You do your best to check all your pockets, retrace your steps, and even dig between the crevices of every seat, but still, nothing.

The sound of your wife screaming adds to the confusion, as she desperately begs you to start the car and get moving, but you can't. In addition, there are no houses close by and the secluded location makes getting calls out a real challenge.

As your poor daughter’s situation worsens and precious time has been wasted, your wife suddenly asks the one question that makes you sick to your stomach...“Don’t you have a spare!?”