How much is a day worth?

How much is a day in your life worth?

Go on think about it?

I know it's a more complex question than it seems, as clearly it depends on your health, income etc. 

But 30 mins ago, I was asked a question that somehow was similar to this  

Now I have to apologize for this blog upfront, it may annoy many of you, and whilst it's meant to be light and entertaining, the content has the ability to come across all wrong. So sorry!

Anyway the question is still valid whatever your setting. 

So I am in Shanghai airport, flying home to Zurich. The trip was to deliver a 2 day training to a senior team and it mattered. Our company has a policy which I thank them for each time I fly overseas. Which is that for flights over 6 hours, we can fly in business class. Yea yea I know!!! Its pretty fab.

Anyway I arrived this morning, after a very early start at the check in. Here a very nice lady greeted me and said, "Today we are overbooked and we would like to offer you 1500 euros to travel economy class"   Wow what an offer. That is a huge sum of money. Think of all the things I could do with all that free money.  

But it wasn't really free money. 

My company was affording its people the luxury they deemed appropriate for their travels. And the cost they incur, they feel is justified.  So for me to spend the next 12+ hours in economy class was not their intention. Yet I had a choice.

I quickly thought about what various people in my life would say and advise me, and ended up going with the thought that, this was never my money in the first place, this was company money and not mine, thus I politely refused.

I also was massively tired after the few intense days in China and the jet lag that went with it, so to me a flight filled with many hours of sleep with good food and a great selection of movies, did appeal. So I refused.  In that moment, I felt it was a good trade off.

I also hope the person who did accept the downgrade, enjoyed every penny of the money and treated themself to something they had been saving for.

What would you have done?

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