Write off the Emotional Bad Debt

I would like you to imagine this situation with me for a second; You're wearing a suit (dress, skirt...) and you notice that one of the Buttons is loose and is hanging on a thread and it could fall anytime. Of course, the first thing that goes into anyone's mind is to FIX the situation, but what happens when it's not possible (at that particular time/location)? what most people would do, is to be very careful with the button until they are in a situation to fix it.

The loose button situation may have happened to you multiple times already, and you can recall how it made you feel (Anxious? insecure? Slightly worried?); I spoke with a Tailor a few years back, and he gave a tip at that time, to simply pull it off yourself and keep it in your pocket until you can fix it. This will reduce/eliminate your anxiety about the possibility of losing the button and you can focus on other important things.

Of course, the example of the loose button is a metaphor for so many things that are hanging on a thread in our life, a former relationship, an old item, a particular "situation" at work or family, and so on. Where we know that the future of that "Loose Button" is more certain to everyone else, but for us, we keep holding to that thin thread, hoping that things can change.

If you have had the chance to watch the Movie Hitch you can recall the conversation between Albert (played by Kevin James) and Hitch (played by Will Smith) after Losing Allegra Cole (played by Amber Valletta):

“- Albert: You know, honestly, I never knew I could feel like this. You know? I swear I'm going out of my mind. It's like I want to throw myself off of every building in New York. I see a?cab?and I just wanna dive in front of it because then I'll stop thinking about her.

- Hitch: Look, you will. Just give it time.

- Albert: That's just it. I don't want to. I mean, I've?waited?my whole life to feel this miserable. I mean, and if this is the only way I can stay connected with her, then... well, this is who I have to be.”

The last part Albert said, is so powerful that it can literally describe millions of people who have loved and lost, and they keep holding on to the memories and the fact that they are feeling Miserable is just a way to keep the connection going, and where the ratio of HOW MISERABLE YOU ARE is directly linked to HOW MUCH THAT PERSON MEANT TO YOU.

So that was an example of the Loose Button, that produces a great invisible impact on your life that would eventually produce an EMOTIONAL BAD DEBT.

This week's Tip is on how to deal with this Emotional Bad Debt, WRITE-IT-OFF!

In business accounting, the term write-off is used to refer to an investment (such as a purchase of sellable goods) for which a return on the investment is now impossible or unlikely. The item's potential return is thus canceled and removed from ("written off") the business's?balance sheet. Common write-offs in retail include spoiled and damaged goods. In commercial or industrial settings, a productive asset may be subject to write-off if it suffers failure or accident damage that is infeasible to repair, leaving the asset unusable for its intended purpose.

Use the same tactic that I learned from that Tailor, don't leave the loose button hanging there, cut it yourself and keep it in your pocket; this way you removed that weird and awkward connection between you and that item, and reduced the impact and "domination" it had over you, and instead, once it's no longer connected to you, you will make the right decision how to deal with that situation.

Have a wonderful week,

SC