A dear friend/collaborator sent me a message a while ago.

“I need to talk to you.” My heart sank. I wondered if he was in trouble. So, I called him.

“Kabir, I need to borrow $400k to buy a boat.

I need it in the next 48 hours, or I’m going to miss this chance of a lifetime.” 😮

I didn’t really know what to do.

First, who has this kind of money let alone liquid?

Second, if I tell him no or that he’s in the throes of an emotional financial decision, he may resent me.

I remembered something that happened to actor/writer Mel Brooks.

A producer wanted him to fire Gene Wilder.

Mel Brooks said yes. But then he never did it. And the producer forgot.

Here is what Mel Brooks said:

I’ve learned one very simple trick: say yes. Simply say yes….Don’t fight them. Don’t waste your time struggling with them and trying to make sense to them. They’ll never understand.”

This approach causes me some anxiety.

I like to do what I say.

So if I say yes, I want to follow through.

Now let’s remember what Oprah Winfrey advises:

When you don’t know what to do, my best advice is to do nothing until clarity comes. 

I like this.

Sometimes we feel like we have to make a decision right away.

And then we make a decision — and we don’t quite feel right about it.

So, why not wait?

In the case of my friend who wanted to buy a boat, I said “let me think about it.”

And then a day went by…

And then a week…

My friend kind of forgot about the whole situation. (or at least I think he did…)

When we talked a few weeks later, I hesitantly brought up the situation.

He replied:

“Oh, someone else bought the boat. And I wasn’t sure how much I’d use it any way.”

Problem solved.

And it didn’t cost a fortune.