Every goal has a price. Most people ignore it and hope for the best. Then the bill arrives in the form of late nights, stretched budgets, or uncomfortable conversations. They feel blindsided and quit. You don’t need more willpower. You need a clear price tag.
I teach clients to build a simple tool I call the price matrix. It makes the cost of any goal visible before you start. When you name the price up front, you choose it on purpose. Unpriced goals fail. Priced goals finish.
The myth of free goals
We love to believe we can “add” a goal without giving anything up. Go to the gym, grow the business, be more present at home - all at once, with no trade-offs. Reality disagrees.
Every yes hides a no. If you say yes to training, you say no to something else at the same hour. If you say yes to building a product, you say no to an easier evening. Progress is not free. It is paid for with time, money, or discomfort.
The three costs of every goal
Time. Hours and calendar blocks. What will you stop doing to make room? TV, scrolling, low-value meetings, late starts, aimless email.
Money. Direct spend or opportunity cost. Gear, coaching, fees, tools - or the income you delay while you learn.
Discomfort. Effort, awkwardness, risk, and pain. Early alarms, heavy breaths, first rejections, honest conversations, slow learning curves. This is the part most people try to negotiate away. You can reduce it. You can’t remove it.
Example: Eric wanted to write a novel. The price was three streaming nights a week and the discomfort of staring at a blank page. He chose to pay in time and discomfort, not money. Eleven months later, he typed “The End.”
Why unpriced goals fail
When you don’t name the cost, the first hard day feels unfair. “Why is this so difficult?” Because you never agreed to the price. Surprise costs create resistance and guilt. People quit, then blame motivation.
When you name the cost, the same hard day feels expected. “This is the toll. I chose it.” Named costs create ownership. People keep going.
Build your personal price matrix
Grab a sheet of paper. Draw three columns: Time, Money, Discomfort. Now work through these steps:
Step 1 - Write your goal in 10 words or less.
If it won’t fit, the goal is still fuzzy. Make it sharp first.
Step 2 - Time cost.
List the weekly hours this goal needs. Then list what you will drop. Be explicit. “3 x 45-minute sessions” and “no TV on Mon, Wed, Fri after 20:30.”
Step 3 - Money cost.
List the spend and the savings plan. Shoes, coaching, software, fees - and how you’ll fund them. If the answer is “no spend,” you still write “€0” so the mind sees a number.
Step 4 - Discomfort cost.
Name the pain. Early alarms, first cold calls, awkward feedback, soreness, social nerves. Then add one line for how you will handle it. “If rejected 3 times, send 2 more.” “If raining, treadmill.” “If anxious, 3 deep breaths then go.”
Step 5 - Decide.
Are you willing to pay this price for 4 weeks? If yes, sign and start. If not, reduce the scope or pick a different goal. Refusing to decide is how goals die.
Your price matrix in action
Here’s what a quick matrix looks like for a half-marathon:
Time: 5 hours training per week. Swap 2 evening shows and 1 long brunch for early runs. Sunday long run blocked 8:00 - 9:30.
Money: €120 shoes, €60 race fee, €30 nutrition. Fund by pausing one subscription for 3 months.
Discomfort: Cold mornings, calf tightness, saying no to late Saturday nights. Plan: lay out gear at 21:00, 10-minute warm-up, stretch routine, lights out 22:00.
Now the bill is visible. Nothing here is a surprise. You either agree and act, or you adjust until you can agree. That honesty prevents quit-day.
Coach story - the side-business that finally launched
One client told me he wanted to launch a consulting offer “on the side.” For six months he dabbled and stalled. We built his price matrix.
Time: 6 hours weekly. Replaced two weeknight gaming sessions and one Saturday morning.
Money: €200 for a landing page tool and €50 for domain and email.
Discomfort: First 20 outreach messages, two likely rejections per day, one live discovery call per week with awkward silence allowed.
He signed it. Four weeks later he had a live page, twenty conversations, and his first client. Same goal, new outcome. The difference was not motivation. It was a priced plan.
Common pricing mistakes
Hiding the real toll. If you always “make exceptions,” you are not pricing. You are wishing.
Underestimating discomfort. Stretch is part of the deal. Plan for it like weather.
Paying only in money. Tools and courses are helpful, but they don’t eliminate time or discomfort. You still need hours and courage.
Pricing once, never reviewing. Recheck the matrix after two weeks. If the cost is too high, scale the goal. If it’s too low, add a small stretch.
What this means for you
Goals are not free. But when you price them honestly, you build freedom. You stop feeling guilty for not doing the impossible, and you start doing the important. That’s why in the 4P Clarity Method we always name the price before the journey begins. When the toll is clear, the choice is clean.
Choose your price on purpose. Then pay it with pride.
Want a personalized clarity system?
If this resonates, don’t stop here. You can have a tailored blueprint built around your exact goals, challenges, and energy patterns.
👉 See the full 4P Clarity Method here:
https://coachraido.com/4p-clarity-method/