No good thing in life truly comes for free.
Everything gained must come at a price, for however little or much, material or otherwise.
If you want to get something, you’ll either have to work for it, pay for it, ask for it, bargain for it, or even fight for it. One way or another, you have to give in order to get.
Some things demand more than others—it’s all a matter of finding out whether or not the demands are worth meeting.
Is It Necessary?
For instance, imagine yourself shopping for a new pair of shoes. You want something that looks good, feels comfortable, and fits in your budget. I figure the first question you should ask yourself in this situation is, “Is this necessary?” If you don’t really need it, you may want to reconsider.
However, if it’s something you want to get to feel good about yourself (which is not a bad thing; you must allow yourself good things within reason), you would then need to decide how good it’ll make you feel for how much you have to give up to get it.
You might find the perfect pair of shoes, but if you need to sacrifice money beyond your budget just to get it, the decision to do so begins to seem impractical.
If you need that money for other things, it’s obviously a bad idea to go beyond the budget.
But if you believe you can spare that money, whether out of excess or the decision to forgo other things you need to pay for (ex. going for much more affordable food options), it all comes down to deciding if it’s worth that trouble.
Function Before Style
If the budget won’t be a problem, but the style of shoes you want doesn’t feel the best to walk around in, you would then need to make other considerations.
First and foremost, shoes are made for walking. If a pair of shoes feels weird to walk around in, but you really like how they look, you have to consider whether or not you can forgo comfort just to wear them.
High heels, for example, are typically worn on special occasions.
Walking around in them and wearing them in general can place stress on your feet.
Do you have nothing suitable to wear for the occasion? Are you not going to do a lot of walking or standing? Do you only need to use the heels for this one occasion, with no intention of wearing them in the future?
And if the shoes generally just don’t agree with your feet, you may want to reconsider. You may be risking some sort of injury if they feel too uncomfortable.
Most of the time, you have to put function before style.
Control Your Decisions
At the end of the day, you control your decisions and you decide what you’re willing to give in order to get something.
Though it’s best not to overthink it, there may be times you need to carefully consider your decisions.
So ask yourself:
“Do I need this?” “Do I really want this?”
“Does it work out for me?” “Can I afford to spare what it demands from me? “Is it safe?” “Does it require risks”, and “Are they worth taking?”
This applies to pretty much everything involving decisions: material things, relationships, and jobs, all among many other parts of life.