The hard decision

Making a decision between two amazing things is extremely hard.

The summer before grade eight I started babysitting. I earned $400 that summer. The class field trip that year was Quebec City. A whole week in Quebec, taking in the historic sights had a price tag of $350. My parents couldn't afford it. They told me that if I wanted to go, I would have to use my own money.

There was one problem. I saved that money to go to basketball camp. The camp was going to take all of my savings. My parents gave me a choice: camp or Quebec. I really wanted to go to Quebec with all my classmates. The exoticness of this far away land was waving me over like the pretty girl in my dreams. If I didn't go, I would have to go to school for a whole week with a five other losers who couldn't afford the trip.

Basketball was my passion. I wanted to improve so much that making the varsity team wasn't enough. I wanted to be a starter.

I didn't want to be a loser.
I didn't want to miss the trip of a 14 year old's lifetime.
It hurt.
I cried a lot.
I begged for devine intervention.
It was not fair.
I wanted to do both things.

In the end my parents didn't waver from their initial stance. And I chose not to go to Quebec. The decision was neither right nor wrong. It was a decision and I thank my parents for forcing me to make one.

I was forced to make an equally difficult decision about a business today. I had to choose between chasing a dream or killing it. It sucks just as bad as it did back in grade 8.

I was fully committed to buying the business.
I spent 11 months working all of the angles and understanding the challenges.
I wrote out strategies and imagined systems that could improve the operations.
I put all other opportunities aside to pursue this one.

The pretty girl was waving me over in my dreams.
I didn't want to make the decision.
It hurt.
I asked for devine intervention.
I really really wanted to get involved in this business.

It won't matter if the decision is right or wrong. I made one. Now it's time to move on. Thanks Mom and Dad.