The Cost and the Benefits of Avoidance

"A typical vice...is not saying anything real on real issues."
Theodore Roosevelt

Avoidance is defined by The Free Dictionary by Farlex as"the act of keeping away from or preventing from happening."

When one chooses an avoiding position, decisions are delayed if made at all. Small problems - the infamous "molehill" because the proverbial "mountain." Whatever the motive, unaddressed symptoms are so overwhelming that the real "disease" is never found.

In the avoidance, if this mode directly impacts areas of life or work that we have direct responsibility then collaboration is sacrificed and success is rarely achieved. A simple strategy to determine whether to use avoiding behavior or not is called a "cost-benefit" analysis.


Situation A:
An individual sees waste and inefficiencies everywhere and avoids getting involved:


Costs:
Loss of market share
Loss of salary increases
Loss of job

Benefits:
Lighter work load
Less clutter
More time for TV and sleep

Situation B:
An individual works with an individual who encroaches on time, money and resources without any regard for how it impacts others and decides to remove themselves from lunches, breaks and other opportunities for gripping, complaining and manipulating:


Costs:
Feeling uncomfortable in the other person's presence
Need to learn a new method of interaction and communication

Benefits:
Increased feeling of assertiveness and personal control in life
Increased productivity and professionalism
More time for self

Reminders:

• If the cost is your effectiveness, your sense of self, your very soul and peace of mind, than seek assistance to overcome avoiding behaviors.
  
• If on the other hand, there is very little cost and the benefit to not addressing the issue is greater or it truly is not an issue that you have any control over, by all means - leave the situation alone and work on what you can control
  

If avoidance is intentionally causing one to stay in the background and fly under the radar, than this behavior serves very little purpose and often actually takes away any hope for successful relationships, business and life. On the other hand, if staying out of a situation appears to be avoidance, than so be it - the benefits far outweigh the cost.