The $100,000 Salt Shaker and Other Worthwhile Investments

An off-beat guide to better investment — both financial and social

I recently finished the book The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch. It’s a great, concise book that does triple duty as an autobiography, confessional of a dying man, and collection of frank and quirky advice.

One of my favorite stories from the book is so short, it’s easy to overlook. But it gives flesh and bone to the vague skeleton of a principle I’ve come to hold to tightly since I first entered the world of business. I’ll let Pausch’s story do its own heavy lifting.

Fragility

Randy Pausch tells the story of how, when he and his sister were pre-teens, the family went to Disney World. Their parents opted to give the kids 90 minutes on their own to roam the park

To show their appreciation for the trip, and the 90 minutes of autonomy, the Pausch children went to the gift shop to pick out something for their parents. They soon found a $10 set of salt and pepper shakers they knew their parents would love. So they made the purchase and quickly left to roam the park.

Minutes later, Randy fumbled the package and dropped it — resulting in a broken set of shakers. An adult guest in the park saw what happened and…