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Something Worth SharingThe Value of the Last Few
I hate filling the car with fuel, it’s just one of those “must-do / no-fun” jobs. While driving to an appointment last week I noticed that I only had 47 miles worth of fuel - and wasn’t that close to a petrol station. This gave me a touch of anxiety as I obsessively watched each mile pass by in my attempt to savour the fuel and get to the petrol station. Each mile mattered, and driving cautiously allowed me to maximise the available fuel until I reached the petrol station and the looming crisis was averted. Following my appointment, I drove back to the office with a now pretty full tank of fuel. I noticed something along the way…I felt very differently about the mileage. I didn’t feel as if I had to watch it as I had on my journey to the appointment, and pulling away from traffic lights didn’t cause me to worry about savouring every drop of fuel. Valuing the ‘last few’ of something isn’t limited to fuel, this happens with money. I certainly recall being a student and counting every penny! We can actually look beyond those two examples; there was an advert back in the 1980’s for ‘Rolo’ - a chocolate by Nestle - that played to the phenomenon of the value of the few. The advert was built around the last sweet in the packet and posed the question: "Do you love anyone enough to give them your last Rolo?" - as if this last one was more valuable than all others. The fact is, the last chocolate is no different than the rest of the pack - it tastes the same. The last few drops of fuel in the tank is the same complex mixture of hydrocarbons - as was all of the other fuel you may have already used. The last few of something is the same as the rest - just not valued until it’s scarce. So why do we insist on wasting our health and fitness, as well as time, until it’s too late? Value each moment, not just the last few.
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