Everything in life has a price tag

Paulo Coelho, author of the book “The Alchemist” says, “Everything in life has its price.”  And Harry Browne echoes, “Everything you want in life has a price connected to it. There’s a price to pay if you want to make things better, a price to pay just leaving things as they are, a price for everything.”

In life there’s no such thing as free lunch. You have to work for it. You have the choice and decision to make, whether it’s positive or negative, because in the end there’s always a price we have to pay. And this price can be a gift or a curse.

When my kids were growing up, I was in a dilemma whether to accept my scholarship or not to the United States because they were still in their tender age. My love for my children overwhelmed me, so I rejected the scholarship. In my moments of aloneness when I looked back on the opportunity that I let pass, I never regret my decision. All of my five children are professionals and blessed in life that any mother would be proud of. I could not ask for more from the Lord.

I remember a friend of my eldest son, Saldy, (now residing with his family in Copenhagen, Denmark) who married after graduating from high school despite of the objection of his parents. He ended working as a laborer. Because of financial hardship the marriage went awry.

Ian Ortega, of www.likedin.com website, exclaimed, “I used to think that you could get some things for free in life. I really thought so, but I have come to accept the fact that everything in life has a price attached to it. You must pay that price.” Ortega cited the following scenarios:

• In entrepreneurship, you are now your own boss. One thing they never tell you is that the worst thing is to be your own boss. You end up working more than at a job. In the beginning the income is not even stable. In some months, you are just surviving.  On the rosy side, one can enjoy the blessings of life when the business prospers. One can never get rich when depending only in salary, especially if it’s modicum.

• Even those who chose to stay single have a price to pay. The cold nights, the isolation, and the feelings of loneliness, or perhaps having to watch in envy as couples kiss. 

• You want to be famous? There’s a price to pay. You cease to have something called privacy.   Everything in your life becomes a topic, from the person you date to the clothes you wear.

• Being nice comes with a price. People taking advantage of your niceness. Having to hide your real feelings too.

Ortega asks these questions, “So what is that which you want? Do you know the price? Are you willing to pay the price?” He counsels, “Don’t take on something whose price you are not willing to pay. Don’t start getting into marriage if you are not ready to pay the price…”