Even if Moore’s Law  is true and technology continues to double every 18 months, I don’t think we’ll ever reach the point where we can pop a magical pill or have some mega machine instantly transform us into lean and ripped specimens. And even if I’m wrong and we do reach that point, it won’t happen because it simply can’t happen. Let me explain.

The house is filthy. An absolute mess. So over the next couple of hours you toil. Vacuuming, mopping, dishes, laundry, dusting, kitchen, bathrooms. It sucks. But then you are done and it looks great. YOU did that. It’s a feeling of accomplishment. And guess what, had you hired a cleaning company to come and do it for you, it just wouldn’t be all that great. It’d be clean, sure, but you wouldn’t have that feeling.

The grass needed cut. I really don’t like cutting the grass. I have a push mower and 1/2 acre of land that needs tended to about once per week. Not to mention a ton of sticks to pick up, bushes that need trimmed and weeds that need pulled. I really don’t look forward to that, but when I’m all done I feel pretty good about what I got done and how good it looks. Recently, however, my mower broke down and my lawn was getting out of control. My neighbor cuts grass and does landscaping for a living. When I’m in a pinch like this he’s cool enough to cut it for me at a really cheap rate. He also does a hell of a lot better job than I do. So I came home the other day and saw that he had cut it for me. It looked great, but I didn’t get that feeling.

It was maybe 20 degrees out at best. What water was left in the cove that winter was frozen solid. The barren bottom of the lake shore was like concrete. And there I was. Me, my dad, and two shovels trying to break through and dig deep post holes that would soon be filled with actual concrete and a couple of 4×4’s. We were building a dock for the boat and this was the only time we could do it, when the water was down. Over the next week this continued until we were done. I cursed every minute building that damn thing. It was a long week. But you know what? That was about 15 years ago and it’s still standing today. Every time I go home I look at it and get that feeling. And some good memories of hanging with my dad.

Ikea is a pretty popular furnishing store. But why? A lot of their stuff is, well, not of the highest quality. Yet they continue to do very well. Sure they’re pretty cheap, but a lot of other places are too. So what gives? What’s so great about Ikea? They make sure you get that feeling. You have to put the furniture together yourself. And they recognize the importance of that feeling.

I was driving back from Brown County State Park the other day and passed a billboard showing how big the pots were for the Powerball, Mega Millions, and Hoosier Lottery. One of them was over $200 million. Can you imagine winning that?! Holy crap you’d be set for life! All of your family would be set for life. You could just golf or shop all day everyday without a worry in the world. How great would that be?! Well, as it turns out, not nearly as great as you might think. Lottery winners are notorious for being unhappy. Now I know what you’re thinking, “How in the world can that be?”. But it’s true. They did nothing to obtain that money. They didn’t start from nothing, work their ass off, and obtain it. They never get that feeling. There is a reason that self-made million/billionaires are often pretty frugal folks. Warren Buffett is a great example. The dude is worth a gazillion dollars. He still lives in his original house and drives an older Cadillac. He worked hard for his money and has his frugal habits so ingrained in him that that’s just how he’ll always be.

I could continue on and give any other number of examples, but I think I’ve gotten my point across. When you set your alarm to get up early to workout, it can suck. When you pass on the 2nd slice of pizza when everyone else is having 3 slices, it’s not as much fun or enjoyable. But reaching your health or fitness goal is an incredible feeling. Yep, it’s that feeling. YOU did that. And that’s something that NO pill or potion will ever be able to produce.

Cheers