Pay now, pay later. Either way, you're going to pay.

The other day, I was listening to money guru, Jean Chatzky, on XM radio, talking with Ben Sherwood, and author of, The Survivors Club: The Secrets and Science That Could Save Your Life. Sherwood’s book is about human longevity and the behaviors people engage in to lengthen or cut short their lives.

One interesting concept of his: Low cost/high impact behaviors. In an era of buy low, sell high, at first glance this would appear to be a good strategy. As it turns out, this is only good when buying stock or real estate; not the way one should conduct their career.

An example of a low cost/high impact behavior is not buying life insurance. Not buying life insurance – even though you know you’re gonna’ die – has a high impact consequence; the same for not saving money, eating lots of fried food … even lying. All the stuff that one day might come back to haunt you.

How to tell if you have a low cost/high impact career?

Investing time in a job for the here and now is a lot like buying new shoes instead of putting that money in the bank. You can enjoy the shoes today, but the money you spent is gone forever while, eventually, the shoes wear out. To reduce your upfront costs in your career, you can skip the school route, take any job offered just to pay the bills, and remain unchallenged, but if this is not the job that literally catapults you out of bed each morning, you are risking paying an even bigger price later on. Low cost/high impact.

As I repeatedly remind my youngest stepson, and he will attest to this, the mantra I like to live by is: You can pay today or pay tomorrow, but either way you’re going to pay. It works with your health, savings, and your career. Like Benjamin Franklin’s fascination with accrued interest on savings, I am equally fascinated by the concept of how everything in life adds up.

By not investing in your career in obtaining the necessary education, attending helpful seminars, or waiting for that right opportunity to come along, even if it means there are sacrifices to be made in the process, you miss out on having the opportunity to fully realize what you are capable of doing.

Marianne Williamson's 'Our Deepest Fear'

There are certain people in your life who have the capacity to instill hope, or reaffirm belief, that each of us has the ability to live an intentional life. These are the people most important to pay attention to for their personal power is not superficial or vain but comes from a place, seemingly, outside of them.

In a moving conversation yesterday with one of those people, I had occasion to recall Marianne Williamson's , Our Deepest Fear. Today, it is appropriate that it be her words that speak the sentiment of intent:

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

Do you know the times of day you are at your best?

When we talk about a biological clock, we often think in terms of a woman’s limited time to reproduce. This definition is not so far afield when we compare this to the hours in the day when we are most apt to produce our best work.

I hadn’t given this topic much thought until a former boss asked me for my assistance on a project. He prefaced the request by asking what hours of the day I felt I was most creative. It didn’t take much time for me to answer as I know my optimum performance occurs from early morning to noon, subsides for approximately 3 hours, and is followed by another peak period that runs through 10-11 PM. During these times, I am at my best, with clarity of thought and vision, able to produce solutions to complex problems, am more optimistic, and, though some may disagree, feel I write better. Lest you think I may be napping during my lower performance period, in actuality, this is when I try to do other activities that still need to be done (i.e., make/return phone calls, drive, file, lunch, etc.) but don’t require maximum brain power to accomplish. Think of this in terms of best managing your time.

A number of employers are beginning to recognize the importance of crafting work schedules to take advantage of the timeframes in which employees do their best work. Researchers conducting studies on links between employee behavior and flexible work hours resulted in an employee’s greater commitment to their employer and higher job satisfaction. Read more on this subject. While there is discussion as to who is behind the 8 am – 5pm workday and why it was set-up that way, employers – and their employees – may actually reap greater benefits when employees are encouraged to work when they are most productive.

Mind your thoughts

Do you think that what you think is nothing more than just thoughts, that once thought, the thoughts vanish into nothingness? If so, think again.

Researchers are now discovering what Deepak Chopra and other notables have been saying all along: Thoughts are energy. And, as any energy source, it prompts a reaction. Mind you, the body makes no distinction between good and bad thoughts but merely processes thought. Just think about the last time you really wanted to achieve something. I venture that if you had invested your thoughts on how to get what you thought about, it likely appeared. On the other hand, if you thought about all the reasons why you could not achieve your goal, did not deserve it, or that it was merely impossible to achieve, it probably didn’t show up.

How can this help you in intending a career? Spend time thinking about the kind of work that makes you happy. What does a day-in-the-life-of-you look like when doing this work? Do you work at a big or small organization? Do you get to be creative? Are your co-workers formal or relaxed? Suits or jeans? Get specific. Only when your thoughts are really specific are you able to channel that energy (your thoughts) into a career that is perfect for you.

Know that there’s science behind the energy of our thoughts. Read Alexander Lee’s article, Mind-Body Connection Part I: Our Thoughts Can Affect our Health.