If you unexpectedly run into someone you know, remember this: That moment will never happen again.

A new apartment. A spouse. A new job. A car. (Even, a blender, as I’ve found.)

There are a lot of choices. And certainly, you don’t want to make the wrong decision.

But you also don’t want to hold out for something that doesn’t exist. (There will always be the price of admission.)

So here’s how you make a pick.

Step 1) Figure out what you want. Seems obvious, but if you aren’t certain that you want a husband or condo or in-house job, you’re wasting your time looking.

Step 2) Figure out by when you want it. Examples: You want to be married by the time you’re 32. You want a new gig by Q1 of next year. You need to close on a new place before your current lease is up in six months.

Step 3) Measure your window. How long have you given yourself? Do the math. In the last example, you have six months.

Step 4) Divide the aforementioned window by three. Six months ’til you need to be out of your apartment? You one-third window is two (months).

Step 5) Say no to all options during this one-third window. See as many options as you can.

Step 6) After the one-third window has passed, say yes to the one that’s better than anything else you saw.

Congrats.

You just bought a house or found a spouse or landed a job.

And you found the best of what’s out there with time to spare.

You might know very well that they should quit.

• Their job.
• Drinking soda.
• Smoking cigs.
• Eating processed snack food products.
• Drinking alcohol.
• Being obsessively, overly punctual.
• Being habitually, carelessly late.

But you should quit wishing you could throttle them.

They’ll figure it out.

You’re going to encounter strangers that loathe you. And, unfortunately for you, sometimes they’re in complete control.

• The TSA guy who has to the power to make you miss your flight to the beach or client meeting.
• The bar manager who just poured you a light, stingy, and clearly, spitefully ungenerous drink.
• The garbage truck driver who is sitting in your alley and ignoring your attempts to communicate a way for you to get to your garage.

If you can walk away, do it. If not, just concede that they won.

Resistance, questioning, and negotiations only make it worse.

Be generous with your praise and appreciation and congratulations.

They’re free.

And there’s no better gift to receive.

If you catch yourself saying, “I kinda took the day off,” you should consider this: Wouldn’t it have been better to actually take the day off?