It was enlistment day in the Army, and I was feeling as grim as you’d expect. We’d just left our families behind, facing 2.5 years of regimentation, brutal training, and “delicious” combat rations. Our instructor looked at our sian faces and said something I’ll never forget: “You’re already here. So you have two choices: You can go through your training with a long face and waste the next two years, or you can put in just 5% more effort to do your training well. Come out stronger, with new skills, and lifelong friendships. Your choice.” The lesson stuck with me: If you’re already forced to do something, figure out how to get something out of it. Fast forward to my adult life, and I found myself applying this exact principle to something far less dramatic but equally unavoidable: my bills.
