Emotional Investing, Baggage and the quest for clean windows

I’ve been I hope noticeably absent these past weeks, not by choice mind you but the high temperatures , in fact a “new” record for us was a heatwave starting in the beginning of August and only burning out ….(😊) over the past weekend. The higher temperatures cauterizes all ambitions for some MS Warriors …myself included.

Speaking of MS Warriors …I have to share the magnificent gift my friend David of Sawdust & Sparkles in the UK sent me. It’s a constant motivator on my table to never give up (and it smells great if you have a wood fetish …a good one mind you !!!!)

Music for the morning is a little solemn, as is the weather.

So …over the past weeks apart from hiding indoors I had ample time to reflect on all the essential things …Relativity, the Cosmos and why my windows are always dirty…

The answer to the first two is more complex, the third, easy. Jake …Destroyer of Balls, Distributor of grass ….Licker of Windows.

Yes, the beautiful boy…likes to lick my windows for whatever reason.

This week as temperatures went around 20 degrees I braved going to the front window to wash away the grime the high temperatures had bought…and to replenish all the bird feeders although truth be told since the hawks started nesting in the field behind us …not so much activity. Perhaps the hot weather also had an effect…but I digress

Windows cleaned I took a break to admire them only to see the chosen one blatantly and with absolutely no respect for my efforts LICK them where I had just cleaned…apparently he likes the taste of window cleaner…

If he wasn’t so endearing I would shave his feet ….

This comes to mind – yes still reading these daily or weekly in some instances but always a valuable lesson to be learned 😊

So where was I going with this thinking…Emotional Investments …yup. I came across a really interesting read on the weekend comparing the traditional “Sunk Costs” philosophy with an Emotional parallel.

I recall ( a vague and grey memory …) when I was still working that the risk involved in all “new ‘ developments was the risk of getting too attached to projects and developments and not knowing when to throw in the towel, so to say.

“The economic concept of sunk cost has infiltrated the emotional economy of relationships. It is not unusual for the sciences of economics and psychology to intersect. Advertisers would be at a loss to sell us products without understanding our deepest motivations to look youthful, rich and happy. The idea of sunk cost states that an investment of money, time or energy must not necessarily influence your continued investment of money, time or energy. The past investment is “sunk” into the endeavor and cannot be recouped. It is gone. Ongoing investment will not resuscitate what is gone when the investment is a bad one.

People get bogged down by focusing on their sunk costs.

There are two ways to understand this process, both involving avoidance. One is an avoidance of disappointment or loss when something doesn’t work out. When a relationship doesn’t succeed, especially after a long period, especially after many shared experiences and especially after developing a hope that the relationship would be a good one, it is a loss. It is a loss of what might have been and an acknowledgement that a part of one’s life has been devoted to this endeavor.

Another angle to evaluate is that focus on “sunk cost” creates a distraction from one’s inner truth. The sentence often goes like, “I’ve already invested to much, so I can’t notice my thoughts and feelings that are telling me to end or change this relationship.”
This is a type of insidious defense against noticing yourself. You enter into a neglectful relationship with yourself which divorces you from your inner thoughts and the quiet feelings that might guide you in your life. In other words, thinking about what already has been may prevent you from deciding what you want your life to be.

The key is to clear away the distractions to rational and emotional clarity. Getting stuck in your “sunk cost” prevents you from this clarity, whether in your relationships or your investments!”

 This is extracted from the article ( I can’t remember where I found it but I saved it as it made a lot of sense at the time)

The second point is the emotional baggage…we all carry it around with us but at some point in time we need to learn to put it down, leave it in Lost Property or simply give it away.

The concept is simple, we all experience things is life that scar us in some way. The scars can be hidden or visible to everyone , they can either cripple us emotionally, physically or psychologically or they can define us , force us to reach higher , further , each of us realises their own experience. However for many we do not simply “get over it “, the pit has slippery or steep sides and escaping it is simply not as easy as for others.

Just as hoarding and clutter is not beneficial so to is the hoarding of emotional baggage. The suitcases we carry get heavier and sooner or later are simply too heavy, unwieldable and awkward to manoeuvre around. Worse still we try to hide the elephant in the room, trying to keep the suitcase in the darkness and denying its existence. At this stage it is getting late to simply Toss the baggage, professional help may be needed to pry it from our grasp.

Of course it may also be possible to open the suitcase, rummage around and make it lighter by casting away the contents (grudges, guilt …fear) that no longer serve a purpose. The result is still baggage, just a backpack rather than a full-sized Trolley. It may be difficult at first but the act of trying to look forwards rather than back can be liberating, you deserve to travel lighter and who knows perhaps even without the backpack…

Last words are from Sasha Dichter …fresh today which inspired me to pound the keypad again…

My Call

The situation is messy, and it’s unclear who gets to decide.

I’m not sure that I know best – or even enough.

Nevertheless, I recognize that in this situation, a decision has to be made. So I’m using my judgment and I’m making the call. Because ultimately that’s my job: to make tough decisions and be responsible for the consequences.

The most important professional moments are defined by a willingness to step into uncertainty, to act, and hold oneself accountable for outcomes.

Not because we need more people to make good decisions. The answers themselves, whether right or wrong, are a dime a dozen.

What’s scarce is the willingness to take responsibility for success and for failure—to be on the hook for your customers and your team.

Stay safe in the coming days, weeks ,months

And yes …time for a shot of Espresso…finally (yes , we know where this leads …)