Something I often think about when I'm walking in the school door each morning:
Our very large school has three sets of double doors at the front. As the kids approach the school building, 95% of them head for the middle doors -- they sort of line up ants-go-marching style and enter through those middle doors. All the doors are of equal size. All the doors open into the large lobby area. But, day after day, the kids plow straight ahead, following the others, slowing themselves down.
Few of them ever look to the left or the right to notice that two other sets of double doors are available to them. I always zig to the right and go in the side door, bypassing the line and getting into the building faster. Frequently I see a kid look at me as I walk to the side door, but then he will continue standing in the long line. I always wonder, "Why don't you take four steps to the right and get out of line?"
This is an analogy for good money management: Options exist to your left and your right, and they don't take much more effort -- they just require that you realize that you're not required to stand in line.
