The Unexpected Opportunity Cost - Chapter 2: The Trap of the Urgent
Chapter 2: The Trap of the Urgent
The next morning, a crisp January Monday appeared ordinary to those who cannot see beyond what lies right before their eyes. Don Elias began his day with the calm of someone who has tamed time itself: he tidied his room, prepared a simple yet nutritious breakfast, and scanned the newspaper to take the pulse of the world.
Later, he took his favorite jacket to the local dry cleaner. It was an establishment with the kind of prestige and renown that can only be earned through years of constant effort and a stubborn adaptation to change. There reigned his friend Don Luciano, a man of Sicilian descent slightly younger than Elias, whose family had emigrated in difficult years seeking new horizons. Luciano possessed a natural shrewdness for business and a sense of humor that could cut through any tension.
Don Elias loved visiting him; he would often invent a garment to be cleaned just to enjoy a good conversation. Luciano frequently reminded him that it wasn't necessary to bring anything, as their talk was payment enough, but Elias insisted: —"Respecting other people's time is the first currency of an honorable man,"— he would say, placing his garment on the counter.
After a morning of reflection with Luciano, Don Elias headed to his appointment at the Bank of Peace at four in the afternoon. The park looked identical to the day before, but Elias felt a contained avalanche in his chest. He knew that if he had a new chance with the young man, a change would be activated—one known only to those who have worked to perpetuate a transformation. It wasn't the satisfaction of "being right," but the peace of knowing that, after having been wrong a thousand times, he had the tenacity to overcome. It was the thrill of someone who reaches a peak and already glimpses the next ridge to climb in the endless cycle of the art of living.
That was the mountain that overwhelmed him today. That is why he did not open his book, nor did he close his eyes. This time, he didn't care for the fiction of a novel; he wanted to find out if the young man had the courage to face his own failures to build a better destiny upon them. Don Elias used to say that if you don't like the plans destiny has for you, you must force it to take the path you want, and that requires a willpower few possess.
While he waited, he observed his surroundings. He saw office workers rushing with coffee in hand, chained to their phones; he saw street vendors offering trinkets just to get by. Everyone seemed trapped in the same thought: attending to the urgent. The next email, the next sale, the next minute.
He, instead, sat there with the patience of an old sea wolf. Analyzing the horizon. He was there for the important.
—"I knew you would come,"— Don Elias said aloud, without turning his head, sensing a presence stopping behind him.
The young man took a step forward. There were no harsh demands, only a silence heavy with a stinging doubt. He sat at the opposite end of the bench, maintaining a cautious distance, like someone approaching a bonfire without knowing if it will warm him or burn him.
—"Why?"— the young man finally blurted out, staring at his worn-out shoes. —"No one comes back to be robbed. And no one smiles when they lose money."—
This time, he didn't pull out the weapon. He wasn't pressed by the need for money, but by the hunger to satisfy the doubt burning inside him. Don Elias took out a hundred-peso bill, folded it with deliberation, and placed it on the weathered wood, right between the two of them.
—"I didn't come to be robbed, son. Everyone sees the world as they wish to see it. If you decide to see an opportunity, that is what you will take with you. Today I come with another hundred pesos because I have understood that this is the price of your time. I have come to pay you for a conversation. But before you take them, tell me: what does this hundred pesos get you?"—
—"A meal... maybe a bit more if I'm lucky,"— the boy replied with disdain.
—"Exactly,"— Elias nodded with a spark of seriousness. —"If you are going to risk your life and your liberty, you should make sure the gain is worth the risk. This hundred pesos solves your hunger for today, but it is the distraction that prevents you from seeing further. It keeps you from thinking about how to satisfy yourself for a lifetime and even satisfy the lives of others."—
Don Elias leaned slightly toward him.
—"You are so focused on the urgent, on surviving the next minute, that you have lost focus on what is important: your potential. You spend your life searching for crumbs, when you could be building the banquet you deserve. Sun Tzu wrote a maxim centuries ago: 'Choose your battles.' Leadership, son, begins by deciding which battles deserve your time and which are merely a shortcut to failure. Strength lies in saying 'no' to what distracts you and focusing all your power not on the cry of anguish, but on the struggle to transcend."—
The young man took the bill but did not flee. He remained staring at the bench, trying to make sense of the words vibrating in the air. For the first time, he felt that the money weighed much more than it had the week before.
🚀 Next Steps in Leadership
1. Enthusiasm isn't enough you need Discipline!
If today’s lesson on the Urgent vs. the Important has made you question your priorities, get ready for what’s coming. In our next installment, the stakes get higher: Don Elias will put the young man’s commitment to the ultimate test.
Make sure you don’t miss Chapter 3, where we will discover why talent and good intentions fail without a solid structure. We will dive deep into a key leadership lesson: The Power of Discipline and Habit over Fleeting Motivation.
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3. Additional Reading to Go Deeper
While you wait for the next encounter at the Bank of Peace, you can apply the foundations of Don Elias’s philosophy with these related articles:
🏦 [The Unexpected Opportunity Cost - Chapter 1: The Bank of Peace] – Missed the beginning? Discover the first encounter between Don Elias and the young man, and the lesson on life’s most important investment.
🎄 [Where Did Christmas Go? A Reflection on the Evolution of Our Traditions] – A reflection on how modern rush and "the urgent" have made us lose sight of the essence of our most cherished traditions.
⏳ [Master Your Time: 5 Tips to Achieve Your Goals!] – Now that you know Don Elias’s philosophy on priorities, here are practical tools to take control of your time and your goals.
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