What a PC laptop from Hell taught me about the “hidden” costs of choices we make

And why I’ll NEVER let my church buy me another PC laptop again…

Everyone knows that all the really cool pastors use Macs and iPhones. So imagine my horror when my church replaced my ailing Mac with a “cheaper” PC.

Oh, it was c-h-e-a-p-e-r alright…

I’ve been a Mac user since 1993. I love all things Apple, including Macs, iPhones, and iPads.

Gratefully, for most of the years I’ve worked for my church, they’ve allowed pastors to choose between using a Mac or a PC. And I’ve always chosen a Mac.

Sadly, last year my 5-year old MacBook laptop started giving me problems. It would get all hot and bothered at times, and just about overheat itself.

Now, I had been wanting a smaller, lighter Mac anyway, because I’m on a lot of airplanes as a missions pastor, traveling 8-10 weeks a year. So I figured it was time to ask for a new MacBook.

My exec pastor understood completely, and was very happy to get me a new lighter computer.

Thank you God…you’re the best!

But she said it would need to be a PC laptop because “PCs are cheaper than Macs.”

Umm…God…me…get a PC?…I thought you loved me?

But since I wanted to be a team player, I decided to go ahead and give a PC a try.

So I spent hours upon hours searching for best option for a smaller, light-weight PC laptop.

I finally found one I thought was perfect. A Dell XPS 13, which is a 13-inch, 3-point-something-pound laptop. It was light. It was small. And it actually even looked pretty much the same as a MacBook.

But it had this one huge drawback. For some reason, the built-in camera on this thing was placed in the lower left corner of the screen…not at the top middle like all the other laptops in the world.

Yes, the lower left corner, just above the keyboard. Which means that anytime you’re on a Zoom or Skype call, people are getting a really good view of your nasal passages.

Eww.

But like I said, I was willing to give it a try.

The first week was awesome. When the machine turned on. But mostly it didn’t. I’d press the power button….nothing.

So I asked all the PC experts on Facebook for help in figuring out what’s going on, and one genius said, “Try taking the battery out and putting it back in.”

Turns out, it worked! But what the heck kind of a problem is that. Why should a new computer require you to remove the battery in order for it to work?

Anyway, it worked fine for a while.But then I started having other problems. Not so much with the computer itself, I guess, but with how our church IT guy set it up to work with our network.

For some reason, I couldn’t open new docs or save docs when I worked remotely. Even if I was connected to the church’s VPN.

And I couldn’t save things to the Desktop or my Documents folder when I wasn’t at the church, or access things that I had already saved in those places.

Did I mention I travel 8-10 weeks a year?

And I also like to work off-site because my office has no window, and from home at night, when it’s nice and quiet.

Then I started having problems even when I WAS at the church.

I did my best and gave the PC laptop a try for about 9 months. But I eventually came to a breaking point and couldn’t take it no more…After COUNTLESS hours of troubleshooting, help desk requests, frustration, and wasted time that will NEVER be recovered.

So I went back to my executive pastor and begged her to puh-leeze let me get a new MacBook, whatever the cost, even if it needs to come from my own departmental budget.

Thankfully, she said yes. And now I shall rise up and call her “blessed.”

I got my new 13-inch, 3 pound, MacBook Pro, and all was right with the world once again. Well, my world, anyway.

This whole PC laptop fiasco did have a silver lining, at least. It ended up teaching me some valuable lessons…

1. Know what type of work environment and productivity tools are best for you, and make sure you have the setup you need to maximize your success
   
   I learned the Mac was made for me like “the Sabbath was made for man.” The Mac integrates into my life perfectly and gives me a sense of shalom. I don’t have to think or stress about how to do anything – it just works for me. Everything is easier for me with a Mac vs. a PC. Now, if you’re a PC person, I understand that you might feel the same way about PCs and you would hate to have to switch to a Mac. It’s OK, you can keep believing that!
   
   
2. There’s an opportunity cost to every decision, and some hidden costs can be greater than you think…so when you see perceived cost savings in one area, look for potential hidden time and money costs in other areas.
   
   So yeah, maybe the church initially thought they were saving money by buying a cheaper computer. But in the end, it cost someone – namely me – a ton of wasted time and frustration. If I could add up all the hours of lost productivity and creativity, and multiply it by my pay rate, I’m sure this new PC ended up costing way more than the new Mac would have from the get-go.

You know, I’ve found this is also true for many pastors, and others who are frustrated with their life and want to make a change to free up their time, earn more money, and enjoy more peace and satisfaction in what they do.

So many people say they want these things – but they don’t quite know how to get there on their own.

Deep down, they know they should work with a coach or guide who really gets them, has been there before them, who knows the way forward, and is willing to help others create more success in their lives too…

But they’re afraid of the cost, and are unwilling to pay the price to get that help.

So they do nothing. But wonder…hope…pray…that one day things can be different.

People often delay taking action on something important because of the perceived cost, not realizing there’s often a greater cost of NOT taking action.

The cost of doing nothing… is NOT REALLY NOTHING!

Because when you do nothing…and make no progress toward your dreams… something does happen….something does grow…your frustration, dissatisfaction, sense of burnout, and stress.

And not just for you! Your spouse and kids feel it and get more stressed. And whether you realize it or not, your church probably feels it too.

These emotional, spiritual, and relational costs of doing nothing are actually way higher than any financial investment you can make to change your future and get the life you’ve always wanted.

So let me ask you…

What’s it costing you emotionally…physically…spiritually…to continue to live in the frustration and uncertainty of wondering how you can move from where you are to where you desperately want to be?

And what is it costing your family? Your church?

Are you ready to stop paying that cost…and finally take that step toward making your hopes and dreams for a better life a reality…today?

I believe you are!

And I believe you can do it!

So go ahead and click to learn how just 90 minutes with me will help clear your confusion, give you greater clarity and focus, and get you moving toward the next level in your life and work >>> http://www.moneywisepastor.com/work-with-me/<<<