Sunk Cost — Jo Gaya So Gaya
The Trap
Rhea placement prep material dekh rahi hai.
Economics ke notes. Interview questions. Company research.
Teen saal ho gaye DU mein. Economics liya tha kyunki "scope hai." Parents ne bola tha. Relatives ne confirm kiya. Counselor ne bhi yahi suggest kiya.
Par ab final year mein, ek realization hit kar rahi hai:
"Mujhe yeh field pasand hi nahi hai."
She actually wants to work in content. Writing. Social media. Creative stuff.
But jab bhi woh thought aata hai, another voice instantly shuts it down:
"Teen saal de diye Economics ko. Itna padha. Placements aa rahe hain. Ab kuch aur karungi toh 3 saal waste ho jayenge na?"
Sounds logical, right?
Par yeh logic exactly wahi trap hai jo lakhs of students ko stuck rakhta hai—degree mein, job mein, life choices mein.
Seedhi Baat
Seedhi baat:
Jo time invest kiya woh gone hai. Jo aage karna hai woh still tere haath mein hai.
Isko sunk cost fallacy bolte hain—aur yeh ek aisi thinking mistake hai jo smart log bhi karte hain.
Hum aise kaam karte rehte hain jo ab kaam nahi kar rahe, sirf isliye kyunki "itna already kar chuke hain."
Par soch—
Woh 3 saal wapis nahi aayenge chahe tu Economics mein job le ya content mein.
Woh time gone hai.
Jo bacha hai woh next 40 saal hai.
Aur woh 40 saal waste karna sirf isliye ki 3 saal doob na jayein?
Yaar, that's the real waste.
Yeh Kaise Kaam Karta Hai
Sunk cost ka trap aise kaam karta hai:
Tu time, energy, ya paisa invest karti hai kisi cheez mein.
Kuch kaam nahi kar raha ab.
Mann nahi lag raha.
Par chhodne ki jagah tu sochti hai:
"Already itna kar chuki hoon."
"Itna time diya, ab kaise chhodu?"
"Sab waste ho jayega."
Toh tu continue karti hai. Push karti hai.
Not because it's working—but because you don't want to admit ki it's not.
Yehi sunk cost hai.
Aur yehi reason hai log:
- Jobs mein ruk jaate hain jo unhein drain kar rahi hain
- Relationships mein rehte hain jo khatam ho chuke hain
- Degrees complete karte hain jo unhone 18 pe choose ki thi par ab 22 pe nahi chahiye
- Courses karte rehte hain kyunki "fees bhar di thi"
Woh past ko bachane ki koshish kar rahe hain—instead of apna future protect karne ke.
Aur cruel part? Rukhne se past wapis nahi aata. Sirf loss add hota hai.
Rhea Ki Kahani
Rhea ne Economics isliye liya kyunki "safe" tha.
Class 12 mein career counselor ne bola—"Economics ke baad MBA, banking, consulting—sab options hain." Parents khush the. Plan set tha.
Teen saal baad:
- CGPA decent hai
- Notes complete hain
- Placements aa rahe hain
Par interest? Zero.
College mein jo ek cheez usne genuinely enjoy ki woh thi—college magazine ke liye likhna. Instagram captions banana. Ek friend ke startup ka content handle karna during internship.
Wahi moments mein she felt alive.
But jab bhi content ka thought aata hai, ek voice bolta hai:
"Teen saal Economics padhi. Parents ne fees di. Ab kuch aur karungi toh sab waste. Pehle placement le lo, baad mein sochna."
The Real Question
Ek din hostel mein baithke Rhea ne apne aap se ek different question pucha:
"Agar aaj main fresh start karti—koi degree nahi, koi pressure nahi—toh Economics choose karti kya?"
Answer clearly aaya: Nope.
Not even close. She would've done something in media or communications.
Tab usne realize kiya: Woh 3 saal already gone hain. Unko bachane ke liye aur 40 saal ek field mein dena jo pasand nahi—woh actual waste hai.
Rhea ne placement skip kiya.
6 months struggle kiya. Parents uncomfortable the. Friends confused.
But ab she's working at a content agency. Kam salary hai. Brand koi nahi jaanta.
Par pehli baar in 3 years, Monday morning ka dread nahi hai.
'Aaj Start Karti Toh Choose Karti Kya?' Test
Yeh ek mental reset button hai. Use kar jab bhi tu kisi cheez mein stuck feel kare—but sure nahi ho ki chhode ya nahi.
"Aaj Start Karti Toh Choose Karti Kya?" Test
Step 1: Identify kar
Woh cheez pick kar jisko tu hold kar rahi hai—job, degree, relationship, routine, koi belief.
Step 2: Honestly pooch
"Agar mere paas past ka koi investment nahi hota—no time spent, no fees paid, no emotional attachment—toh kya main aaj yeh choose karti?"
Yeh mat pooch ki "worth it tha ya nahi." That's the trap.
Pooch ki "continue karna worth it hai ya nahi."
Step 3: Accordingly act kar
- Agar answer haan hai → Phir se commit kar. Tu ne consciously choose kiya.
- Agar answer nahi hai → Exit plan bana. Past tera future decide nahi karta.
- Agar answer pata nahi hai → Step back le, fresh perspective se dekh.
Yeh kaam kyun karta hai:
Yeh question past investment ka emotional weight hata deta hai. Force karta hai tujhe present reality se evaluate karne ko, not past expense se.
Jo gaya so gaya.
Jo aage hai—woh still tera hai.
Last Word
Teen saal bahut lagte hain walk away karne mein.
Woh notes jo padhe.
Woh exams jo clear kiye.
Woh time jo diya.
Par real question yeh hai:
Agar aaj fresh start karti, knowing what you know now, toh yahi path choose karti?
Agar nahi—toh rukhna "investment protect" nahi kar raha. Loss add kar raha hai.
Mat pooch "kitna time diya."
Pooch "yeh ab mujhe kya de raha hai."
Agar answer hai "not enough"—let it go.
Kyunki tu yahan apna ego protect karne nahi aayi.
Tu yahan apna potential protect karne aayi hai.
Aur next chapter build nahi kar sakti agar dono haath tooti cheezein pakde hue hain.
Recap
Core Insight:
Past investment continue karne ki reason nahi hai—woh sirf history hai. Jo invest kiya woh gaya. Jo aage karna hai woh tera call hai.
Tool:
"Aaj Start Karti Toh Choose Karti Kya?"—ek mental clarity test jo past effort ko present truth se alag karta hai.
Kab Use Karna Hai:
Jab bhi "par already itna kar chuki hoon…" jaisi feeling aaye, ya kisi cheez mein stuck feel ho jo ab kaam nahi kar rahi.
Yaad Rakh:
Rukhne se sunk cost recover nahi hota. Sirf aur loss hota hai.