Why I bought an $897 pen

The Man In The Red Pajamas…

I watched the frost white snowflakes disappear into the opaque night.

The caked snow on the street silenced the cars passing by on my street.

8-year-old Dakota was waiting…

I was gonna catch that red pajama wearing fucker.

Santa.

I stayed up all night on the couch waiting for him that Christmas eve.

We didn’t have a chimney, so I wasn’t sure where he was gonna break and enter.

But I was waiting.

But with each hour that passed, the gravity weighing down my eyes grew heavier.

I drifted off to sleep.

When I woke up?

Presents sat there in front of me.

But unlike most kids on Christmas day, I was disappointed.

A cardboard box filled with used toys from the thrift store sat in front of me.

That’s when I knew Santa wasn’t real.

I didn’t come from money. My mom, her boyfriend, and I were lower class. I used to live in a motorhome and a night at the movies meant sneaking in for free.

I share this story with you because to show you I understand the value of money.

I’m not some rich kid who was handed everything in life.

So this begs the question…

Why The F%*# Did I Buy a $897 pen?

Now, many people will see an $897 pen and tell me, “Dakota, what are you doing, bro?! You could have put that money in an index fund, and in 35 years, that $897 would have turned into $982!”

And my reply to that would be…

“I’m hacking my psychology, bro.”

Because I’m not actually paying for an $897 pen (plus taxes).

I’m paying for accountability.

To give you context, I’ve journaled since I was 18.

When I didn’t have anyone to talk to, pen and paper became my therapist.

I wrote down my fears, failures, wins, and goals.

Each page I wrote was conditioning me into the person I wanted to become.

I was the narrator of my life, creating my story.

But for the past year, life got in the way.

I told myself I’d get around to it.

“I’ll start tomorrow” turned into “I’ll start next week,” which then turned into “I’ll get around to it...”

Spoiler:

I never did.

Skin In The Game

There’s a cognitive bias in psychology called “The Sunk Cost Fallacy”.

“The Sunk Cost Fallacy describes our tendency to follow through on an endeavor if we have already invested time, effort, or money into it, whether or not the current costs outweigh the benefits.”

Sunk cost is the reason you continue reading a book when you’re halfway through.

Sunk cost is the reason you continue you stay in your loveless marriage of 14 years.

Sunk cost is the reason you finish your 4-year liberal arts degree after amassing 10s of thousands of dollars of crippling debt and attending mandatory classes on gender studies.

Now, you might look at these examples and wonder WTF is wrong with me.

(I often wonder that too).

But, stay with me here…

We can flip this cognitive bias and use it to our advantage…

Hacking Your Psychology

Recently, I’ve been going through challenges and been needing clarity.

I knew journaling would hel,p, but I couldn’t bring myself to pick up the pen and paper again.

So I resorted to my ol’ reliable strategy:

Spend lots of money.

Whenever I’m at a roadblock and need to get my ass in gear, I’ll invest thousands of dollars.

When I stopped working out, I invested $4,000 in a health coach.

When I found myself constantly distracted, I invested $11,000 in a performance coach.

When I kept procrastinating with courses and books early in my business journey, I invested 75% of my savings into my first mentor.

So by spending $897 on a pen (plus taxes), I’m forcing myself to feel the pain of investing a fair chunk of change.

The frugal kid in me is thinking “You pretentious bastard, you better get your money’s worth.”

Because of this, I know for a fact, journaling is going to become a habit again.

Now, if I were to get into the more ‘woo woo’ side of things, I’d argue that using quality stuff creates an abundance mindset in your life.

You are supporting the identity of someone who’s wealthy. And when you adopt this identity, life will throw more wealth your way.

So, am I telling you to invest $897 (plus taxes) into a pen?

Hell no.

But…

For real though, I want you to understand the importance of investing a significant amount into what’s important to you.

It’s a commitment to the person you want to become.

This applies to:

• Improving your skills (mentorship)

• Feeling more confident (high-quality clothes)

• Bettering your health (high-end gym membership)

So there you have it, boys and gals.

Now, you may still think I’m a potato, but I wanted to give ya a different way of viewing the world.

It has served me well and one of the reasons why I’ve been able to escape the lower class and live life on my terms.

Your Canadian friend,

Dakota “Sell Me This Pen” Robertson

P.S.

I’m working on something special for y’all.

I’m packaging up EVERYTHING I know about growing and monetizing social media into a paid course.

This has been in the works for a lonnnnnnng time, but I want it to be an absolute banger for you, so I’m spending a few more weeks building it out.

Since you’re subscribed to my newsletter, you’ll get a huge discount and first access.

Stay tuned.