# On the Price We Pay to Get What We Want

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## Metadata
- Author: [[Darius Foroux]]
- Full Title: On the Price We Pay to Get What We Want
- Category: #articles
- URL: https://medium.com/darius-foroux/on-the-price-we-pay-to-get-what-we-want-773e58f03d91

## Highlights
- of the biggest games on earth is the career game
- If you want to play that game, you need to obey the rules. You need to get your degrees, apply for jobs, put on your game face, hide your personality, please your bosses, go to their birthday parties, and so forth.
- When it comes to your career, you might have to give up your morals, values, and time that you otherwise would’ve spent on family, friends, or your hobbies. It’s a high price that you pay. And when people don’t think about what they sacrifice to succeed at the career game, it can lead to inner conflict.
- If you are not invited to a party maybe it is because you didn’t pay the price, such as flattering the host or doing things to be in her good books. So if you want to be invited, pay the bill and don’t complain about the cost. But if you expect the benefits without paying the price you are not only greedy, you are being foolish. What if you are not invited to the party? You did not do things you didn’t want to do such as flattering the host. You have the advantage of not compromising your integrity.”
- Not complaining about the price we pay is the key to happiness
- It’s human nature to gossip and to be attracted to pleasure
- one thing I couldn’t stand was all the gossip. It sucked me in, and after a while, I noticed myself gossiping as well. I couldn’t understand that one moment people were nice to someone, and it looked like we were all best friends, and another moment, when that person wasn’t there, everyone talked about their sex life and bad traits.
- when I stepped away from the group slowly and stopped laughing at their jokes, I wasn’t invited to their social situations and birthdays anymore. It was the best thing that happened to me at that time in my life.
- Instead of filling my time with gossip and bullshit, I focused on my education, sports, and true friends.
- I decided to play a different game. One that’s driven by an inner scorecard.
- Stoics can still pursue wealth and money as long as they don’t sacrifice their values.