While getting ready for work, I put off ending the losing contract again.
Every morning, I reopen the contract that takes money from me each month. But ending it now feels like losing everything I’ve already paid, so I let it go.
Scenes
- Work starts while I’m stuck at the cancel button. — I try to end an advertising contract that’s been running at a loss for three months. But canceling now feels like throwing away what I’ve already paid, so I go back to getting ready for work.
- Losing money and paying more start to look like the same thing. — What you’ve already paid won’t come back, but that doesn’t mean you have to keep paying more because of it. When the two expenses blur together, it becomes harder to decide.
- Even with the I Ching open, I first separate the contract’s timeline. — Before looking at the I Ching’s symbols, I write down separately what I’ve already paid, what ending the contract will cost, and what continuing it will cost. It’s a way to see whether the risks of each choice are really the same.
- Next to the contract, write down only the costs ahead. — Today, don’t erase the amount you’ve already paid. Just write down separately what will go out over the next three months. If the numbers look different, start by looking there again.
- Before whether to end it, I can see what I’ll actually have to bear. — Rather than rushing to choose whether to keep or end the contract, look at the money you would actually lose on each path and the choices that would remain. You don’t have to decide everything at once; you can still gather grounds for a decision.
Stories by Haewol
- Haewol
- Even after the funeral, I’m still unsure whether to leave the group or stay.
- Sitting in the parked car, I try not to call Mom first.
- In the hospital waiting room, she imagines welcoming new customers.
- Even while shopping, I can't bring myself to say it.
- By the rainy window, I’m unsure whether we should manage our money together.
- Even while folding laundry, I weigh whether to go into business with someone or go it alone.
- When I’m alone in my room, I wonder if it’s okay to rest today.
- I spent the whole afternoon staring at the guarantee form.