Throughout our lives we are told to do our best. We would all like to buy the best clothes, phone, car or house. We all want our football, rugby or team to be the best, not to mention our kids! But life is also full of compromise, and sometimes we have to make do with whatever is good enough since the best inevitably costs more of something, be that money, time or effort. There’s also the possibility that you pay the additional cost unnecessarily because the “good enough” option would have met your needs.
Let’s start with the device I am using to write this post, the iPhone. I don’t even need to think about this one. As soon as I saw the first videos of it I knew I was going to buy one as soon as it came out. Two years later and I’m still using my first generation phone and I’ve yet to see another phone that is as well made or works as well as an iPhone. I’ve had my moneys worth out of it many times over. Even when I replace it with the latest model I’ll be keeping this one and using it as an iPod Touch.
I’m of a similar mind when it comes to computers. I haven’t seen another computer as beautifully made as an iMac or MacBook, although the lead over the competition is not as great as with the iPhone, especially with Windows 7 having just been released. I’ve been very happy with my Mac Mini and MacBook purchases and I think my next purchase will be an iMac, but I am by no means as certain as I am about my next phone!
I’ve also had bad experiences when accepting the compromise and not going for the best option available. I’ve struggled with my DSLR camera for months because I’ve been using some no-brand-name 2600mAh rechargeable AA cells that I was previously using with other cameras. The problem is that this camera draws a lot of current and the batteries just can’t cope. Plus if you leave them in the camera for more than a couple of days, they discharge so quickly that the camera isn’t ready to use when you pick it up and inevitably you miss the shot you were trying to capture. I’ve spent a small fortune on different batteries and chargers without any resolution to the problems. Finally I’ve given in and purchased some Duracell rechargeable batteries instead. So far they have been in the camera for 2 weeks and I haven’t had a single glitch, so this was clearly a case of false economy.
But the biggest decision of our lives has been to move to Australia. This is a complex multifaceted decision but at the heart of it lies a desire for the best possible life for our family. The cost is also multifaceted. We are leaving behind friends and family, some of whom we know we will never see again. There’s also a substantial financial cost on top of the emotional turmoil. We aren’t there yet and only time will tell whether the cost of leaving the UK, which is a more than good enough place to live, is a price worth paying.
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Copyright ©Craig Aspinall 2011