To read the details of Stormy's Question, see the Blog HERE.  

To start at lesson 1 go HERE

OK, so where at we at so far? Ted decided that the time and labor he would use to go get the ladder was worth the enjoyment he would get from eating that apple. He planned to go to the barn and get the ladder. He would bring that ladder back and lean it against the tree, and try to reach the apple. He defined his want by creating a plan to achieve it.

Ted has now taken the first step in getting what  he wants. But at this point he is still no closer than Ned to getting the prize. Despite the time and effort Ted put into making his plan, Ned still has just as much of a chance of enjoying that apple as Ted does.  Those that do not understand the process, might think that unfair. Ted put in the time to make up a plan,  while Ned was looking at the butterflies, and Ned still has just as much of a chance to get the apple?

Lesson 4

Once you know, you've got to GO!

So, let's look at how Ted drew up his plan. He broke it down into the steps required to get the apple.  It looked something like this;

1. Go to the barn and get the ladder ( 5 minutes)

2. Bring that ladder back to the tree ( 5 minutes)

3. Lean that ladder against the tree trunk

4. Climb the ladder and get the apple and climb back down ( 5 minutes)

5. Eat the apple

6. Go put the ladder back ( 5 minutes)

7. Come back and look at butterflies ( 5 minutes)

For 25 minutes of Time, and the Labor to lug a ladder around a bit, and he could enjoy that big red apple. The risk was worth the reward to Ted.  He had come up with a good plan. It has measurable steps, and he can easily check his progress to know how the plan is working.

Ted all ready spent Time to think up the plan, he had all ready allocated a resource (Time  (spent making a plan)) towards getting his want, but Ned still has just as much of a chance to get it. Ted is now missing the most critical step of making a plan,

He must put that plan into action

Unless you put the plan into action, the plan itself is a still a wish.  Until Ted gets up and starts walking to the barn, the plan is not going to work. At this point, Ted does have an advantage of getting the apple before Ned, because of the plan, but the chances are still pretty much equal. All the planning in the world won't work, if you don't take that first step.

 So, Ted, really wanting the apple, gets up and starts walking to the barn. Ted begins step 1 of his plan. He has put his plan into action.

Ted made good time, and got to the barn in Four minutes. He was ahead of schedule, and he was feeling good about it. The he found out the ladder wasn't where he thought it was. The ladder was missing from the side of the barn. He looked around for a couple minutes, and found it over by the fence where Ned was dropping water-balloons. He lost a couple minutes. He was now behind his schedule. Step One took longer than he expected. He went onto Step 2, he headed back to the tree with the ladder.

He got back to the tree in five minutes. He checked his progress. Getting the ladder took 12 minutes instead of ten that he expected. Ted thought that was acceptable and proceeded to Step Three.

Ted leans the ladder against the tree. Wouldn't you know it, another problem. Even though the ladder is tall enough, the apple is too far out on the branch for Ted to reach it. The plan will not work. Ted is left with two choices, give up, or modify the plan.

Ted sees he can lean the ladder against the branch itself. He also sees the branch is not as solid as the tree trunk. He sees the branch swaying a bit in the breeze. This adds a bit of risk to the climb. If he were to fall off the ladder he could get hurt. Is the apple still worth the added risk? Does the reward still outweigh the risk?

The key to getting what you want is not just making the plan, it's changing the plan  when you have to. That's why you need the plan, so you know when it's not working.  The plan not only tells you what steps to take, more importantly, it tells you when the step isn't working.

The cost of the apple has now gone up. You add another resource, (Risk), to the cost of the reward. The value of the apple is the same, but now the cost is higher. Ted must rethink the risk against the reward. Sometimes the key to getting what you want, means knowing when to stop wanting it.

I will now take your questions.

Yes, it's true. Even though Ted had all ready invested the time to develop a plan, until he puts that plan into action, Ned still has just as much of a chance getting the apple.

Did you even hear me say the word fair?

Well, actually it's a paradox. The bad thing about plans is they can go wrong. The good things about plans is you will know that they are going wrong. If you know the plan's not working, you need to modify it. This is why having a plan is so important in the first place. This is a critical step in getting what you want every time.

Yes, Risk is also a resource that  must be taken into account when calculating the value of the want. Unlike Time which is usually a constant, Risk is usually a variable. But it can add siginificantly to the cost of the want. 

The Risk of getting the apple is not the same as the Risk of becoming the first girl on Mars. But then neither is the reward. You will find, the bigger the want the higher the cost, the higher the value of the reward.  

To Recap;

To get what you WANT, you must know WHAT you want.

Once you KNOW what you want, you must know HOW to get it.

To know HOW to get it, you must know the COST.

Once you know, you've got to GO !

This now concludes Lesson 4

I will tell you when the test is over.

When you have mastered this lesson, Click HERE

To read the details of Stormy's Question, see the Blog HERE.