“A Bird In-Hand Is Worth Two in the Bush”

We’ve all heard this adage before. Still we’ve all been guilty of discarding what we have to pursue what we want only to be disappointed with the end results.   And yet, if we don’t reach out to pursue and attain the new and different in life we cut ourselves off from the opportunities that could vastly improve our life.  What a conundrum.

But here lies the key to understanding this conundrum.  You don’t have to let go of what you have to pursue and attain new opportunities.  The philosophy of either/or is a zero sum game in which you need not participate.  When you believe the lie that you can’t have both in life but have to make a choice between this or that, you become a willing player in this zero sum game where your destiny has already been determined.  And that is futility.

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Eli Cohen once declared that “Hell begins when you meet the person you could have been.”  This truth addresses the fact that we all are creative beings who can fashion, form and fix our life if it isn’t what we want it to be.  Notice I didn’t say, “We can fashion, form and fix the lives of others to make them what we want them to be.”  That is an impossibility.  But we do have the power, as well as the authority, to change our own life and make the best out of what is available.  Achieving the best is not accomplished by discarding what we have already attained, but rather achieving the best comes by utilizing what we have attained to pursue the things which we deem are greater and nobler.

Ironically, the most of what any of us have attained in life are failures.  But failure should never keep us from the pursuit of greater and nobler accomplishments because the path to success is lined with failure after failure.  Disappointments, fiascoes and catastrophes can become our stepping stones to a better position in life or they can become a stumbling block dissuading us from further pursuit of our desires.  Of course, whichever they become is entirely up to you.

The truth is, the proverbial “bird in hand” is something of which one should never let go.  With it you will be able to lay hold of, manage and control the many other “birds in the bush” that manifest themselves on the journey through life.  And together, with the help of all these “birds”, you will accomplish things that others never can muster up the skill, talent, energy, effort or knowledge even to begin.

Money behaves very similar to the proverbial “bird in hand.”  Without it you can never accomplish what you can with it.  But if you grasp it too tightly, you’ll restrain the power and control it provides…the power and control that allow you to grasp the opportunities that appear from time to time throughout your lifetime.  At the same time if you let lose and give up all control over this “bird in hand” you will end up with less because even that which you have will be taken away from you.  This reflects the drastic effect of inflation, taxation, service charges and fees that destroy your savings, investments and purchasing power over time.

When money is properly managed and controlled you can be guaranteed a way to insure its return to you when you need to leverage it.  And at this point, and this point alone, you have gained a huge advantage over the many who continue to play the zero sum game. No longer do you have to satisfy yourself with either this or that.  At this point you CAN have both.  With this advantage you can actually capitalize the opportunities that come your way while never be concerned about losing the “bird in hand”. Obviously this will allow you to progress beyond the zero sum game that so many others play, day-in and day-out.

Life is short and not many people become what they were intended to be. And that means a lot of people are living in hell.  But hell doesn’t have to be eternal if you discover how to keep the “bird in hand” while you pursue your passions and purpose in life.  Too many would urge you to throw away the “bird in hand” and hurriedly chase your passion in order to find your purpose.  But far too often this advice proves to be the fatal error.  The error of endlessly “chasing after the wind” not climbing the first rung up on the ladder to success and significance.  Learning to keep control over the “bird in hand” while pursuing your passion is the best and most reliable way to find your purpose.  And in finding your purpose you will have become both successful and significant.

Dr. Tomas P. McFie

Most Americans depend on Social Security for retirement income. Even when people think they’re saving money, taxes, fees, investment losses and market volatility take most of their money away. Tom McFie is the founder of McFie Insurance which helps people keep more of the money they make, so they can have financial peace of mind. His latest book, A Biblical Guide to Personal Finance, can be purchased here.