T.A.N.S.T.A.A.F.L. A lovely acronym, isn’t it? It sounds slightly like a swear word if you say it right. I have no idea how it’s actually pronounced, but I do love the idea of having the phrase “T.A.N.S.T.A.A.F.L.” (tan-stah-full is how I’m going to say it) explode out next time someone expects something for nothing.
There are nine silly turtles all adapting fantastic lungs. True, a new state tested apple amortization failed laboriously. *cough* Alright, so that is not what T.A.N.S.T.A.A.F.L. means. It has nothing, and never has had anything to do with turtles or apple amortization (can apples even be amortized?). The acronym does stand for “There ain’t no such thing as a free lunch.”
The phrase was popularized by Robert Heinlein in his novel The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress
The Cynical Side
In an effort to grok in fullness, I want to talk about the less cheery aspects of this statement. T.A.N.S.T.A.A.F.L. simply means one thing: nothing is for free. Emotionally, economically, physically, nothing. I hear voices out there saying, “but I was born; that didn’t cost me anything at all.”
I’ll sit here while you quietly reflect on all the things your parents expected of you as their child. Being born may be one of the largest examples of the fact that T.A.N.S.T.A.A.F.L. is the reality and not a subjective pessimism.
Even if you meet your friend at a coffee shop for a pastry and a drink and your friend generously offers to treat (you have a very nice friend!), it is still not free for you. If you suddenly become belligerent, act in a way off-putting to your friend or in a way outside the social norms, there is a strong chance that your friend will not buy your cake and drink (so if you’re going to test this, do it AFTER the goods have been purchased. Be sure to apologize after as well).
I’m not saying that your friend is buying your good behavior, merely that there is still an expectation and cost involved. ”Paying the price” may be something you are already doing or would have done already. You are naturally a great friend in return, so much so that the friend earnestly wants to do something nice for you. Even that is still a cost, for if you had not put in the time and effort, you would not be getting “free” cake and a drink.
The Optimistic Side
Bleck! Ick! That cynical and pessimistic interpretation was 272 words of abhorring necessity. You have my sincere apologies for putting you through such an awful perspective. It was just to make a point – even though we do not think of some aspects of our lives having associated costs, there always are. Always.
T.A.N.S.T.A.A.F.L! Woo! That felt great to say. It can be such a motivating and empowering word, err, acronym. Similar to grokking in its potency to apply to the rest of your life, it is a word that inspires a person to provide fair value for value received. T.A.N.S.T.A.A.F.L. is an expression that reminds you that your goals, those things that you desperately want, are not going to just fall into your lap without working for them [note: if they do fall into your lap, chances are you don't deserve them, and may squander them. Statistically proven: just do some research on lotto winners]. Yes, it can primarily be an economically-oriented word, but that would be such a dreary level of interpretation to leave it at. Let’s go back to looking at it as a fair value exchange indicator, as well as a goal-oriented, hard work-inspiring word.
Fair Value Indicator
Imagine – you go into the clothing store. There is a super swanky pair of jeans that you’ve got to have. You look at the price tag. It has this simple, but detailed, breakdown on it. Total Price: $35. Price Breakdown – Fabric: $10. Dye: $6. Labor/Assembly: $8. Delivery: $4. Stocking Fee: $2. Subtotal: $30, Profit: $5. Let’s be honest, we’re never going to get that type of breakdown on a price tag, however nice it would be to know exactly what we’re paying for. The idea behind this is that T.A.N.S.T.A.A.F.L. teaches us that we shouldn’t expect to get something for free. I agree – if it’s costing someone else something to make, deliver, stock products, and market them to me – I should pay for it if I expect to have it.
This is the basis of most economic theory – supply and demand – with a little dash of brutal honesty thrown in. And, notice that there is a profit. If someone is going out of their way to create something new, to create a product that I want to buy, are they not entitled to a profit for their efforts? In receiving a profit, people are then able to reinvest, and create NEW products that I will/may continue to buy from them.
One small caveat, however. “Value” is a socially agreed upon vehicle of exchange. In the US, we call it the dollar. We can firmly establish how much something has “cost” by looking at the price of materials involved. But the value of something non-material, such as labor or specialized services, follows a different pricing practice. Usually, these are going to cost a socially agreed upon correct price. So how do you apply T.A.N.S.T.A.A.F.L. to this? A little bit of a sticky situation, but we can figure it out!
The primary mode of thought I can point you toward is that work provides a sense of dignity, independence, and self-reliance to a man or woman. Economists and sociologists refer to a job that meets the price of living as a “living wage.” This is a job that provides enough for people to provide for themselves in a dignified way – not overworking, not working multiple jobs, but still able to provide for themselves and their families. A service, or the price you pay for a service, should be equitable or slightly higher than a living wage. People deserve to make a profit too, not just those selling products.
The problem around value of services goes far in either direction. Some CEOs make significantly more than they will ever need, and are thus granted power via money and influence, while the impoverished many are giving time and labor but do not receive a living wage. Are all jobs created equal or deserving of equal pay? Perhaps in a perfect world, but I would not argue for it, even then. Just as all people are created unequal, all jobs are created unequal. Don’t misread me please, I merely state the obvious that we are born with different gifts and abilities (not different rights) which all deserve to be equally fostered, but unfortunately are not in the real world. They can perhaps be judged according to their societal contribution.
The Motivating Factor
You and I will never get free lunch again. Depressing, isn’t it? NO! Of course not! It means that we’ll have to work for it, and that type of knowledge is just a bit of the eye-opening that everyone needs once in awhile. Substitute the following words for lunch: goals, dreams, wishes, success, failure (if you tried and failed, it still has cost), achievement, cake. Alright, maybe not cake. Cake should always be free (in a non-metaphorical sense. I love cake).
The truth is that your goals are not going to be working toward themselves. Maybe you realized that you’ve got to show your light to the world, that the world needs a savior and that you are that magnificent individual that can save us – well, get to work! The world needs a little more light, and damn right it needs saving. It is not going to happen if you do not roll up your sleeves and get down to it.
The hardest part about goal-setting isn’t the process itself. That can be learned, and once you have learned how, the application is nearly uniform across any goal: What do you want? Say it specifically, in as much detail as possible. Writing it down is even better, as written words have power. Be clear. Figure out what actions you need to take to achieve that goal. Break it down as far as possible, into as many sub-actions as you feel necessary to create a map for yourself. And then what? T.A.N.S.T.A.A.F.L! The next action is to actually act; take action and do so vigorously in the pursuit of your dreams and potential. Believe me, it feels significantly better to take action toward your own dreams than it does to take action toward someone else’s profit margin. To act on your own behalf is the path of greater resistance though. If you REALLY want that lunch, that goal, that payoff, that dream, then you are going to have to work for it.
The scariest part of writing out your goals in such a way, is that at the end, you have a really clear picture of how much your goal/lunch is going to cost you. Is it a price you are willing to pay? Is twice that cost something you are willing to pay? When you wrote out that list for your goals, I’m betting that you didn’t figure in the emotional cost: the strain and stress it may put on you, your family, or your relationships. Safe to say, DOUBLING the cost of what you believe it will be is probably more accurate, but may still be on the low end. When you set large goals, they usually come with some form of interest. If you really want it though, it will be worth the cost. If you aren’t willing to pay for it, why even start? Find something else that you are willing to pay the cost for. Start paying as soon as you can. The sooner you start, the less interest you’ll have to pay.
Mmmmm…. all this talk about lunch has made me a bit hungry. Do you know what you’ll be having yet?
Lovely carrot cake photo at the top by Flickr user Rexipe at http://www.flickr.com/photos/rexipe/ . Used under CC Attribution License.
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