“In this world, nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” – Benjamin Franklin.
The inevitability of taxes goes beyond the percentage of our earnings we fork over to the government. Everything we do, create, achieve or acquire comes at a cost to us. Sometimes the cost is obvious, sometimes it is more hidden. But nothing comes for free.
Say you get a promotion at work. This means more money, more stature in the organization, and more people reporting to you. What could be better, right? But look closely and you’ll see that it also means longer working hours and more pressure to deliver. Your performance will come under more scrutiny, and the bar for future success will be higher.
Say you meet the man or woman of your dreams. You have fantastic chemistry, camaraderie, and compatibility. You enter into a committed long-term relationship. Happy days lie ahead, right?
But what’s the tax? In a serious relationship, you lose some of your independence. You’ll need to inform your significant other before making any impromptu plans. Every decision will need to be discussed and debated, from small ones like what to eat for dinner or which painting to hang on the wall, to the big ones like which city to live in or how many children to have. These never-ending discussions and spending so much time with the same person will cause conflicts.
Say you buy a swanky new house, with 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, and a spacious living room. It’s in a great neighborhood too. Now you can look forward to a lifetime of stability, right?
But there’s always a tax. For starters, there’s literally property tax. To keep up with the payments for a long-term loan, you’ll be obligated to earn high levels of income for decades. Then there’s the constant maintenance work from painting the walls to fixing the plumbing to cleaning the carpets.
Say you go on a nice vacation where you have many memorable experiences. But when you get back home, work is piled up and will leave you feeling exhausted.
Say you’re a comedian or musician or YouTuber, and you build a large fan following. But fame brings with it a loss of privacy. Anything you say or do will be in the public domain and can be used against you. The more successful you get, the more fans you acquire, the more you’ll be hounded and photographed. You won’t be able to enjoy a moment of peace and solitude.
The examples are endless. You pay a tax on everything you get, without exception. There’s a flip side to every coin, a thorn in every rose, a shadow behind the light. Every medicine has its side effects. To gain something, you must lose something.
And that’s okay. There’s nothing wrong with that. It doesn’t mean you shouldn’t strive to achieve anything or make progress towards your aspirations. You just have to understand what it will cost you, and what you have to sacrifice.
So next time you embark on any endeavor, take a moment to ask yourself what is the tax you’ll need to pay. If you can accept that tax, then go for it. But sometimes, you might find that what you want to do will cost you too much. If the trade-off no longer feels worthwhile, then reevaluate your choices. No harm in changing your mind. The wisest amongst us have always been open to a course correction.
In the end, you are the author of your own life. You can pursue any goal you choose to, but you have to be willing to pay the tax for it.
“He who wants a rose must respect the thorn.” – Persian Proverb.
