Marcus is a locksmith in a small city. Marcus carries a heavy black bag. The bag contains picks and wrenches and cylinders. Marcus drives a white van. The van has no windows on the sides.

Marcus received a call at four in the afternoon. A woman had locked her keys inside her house. Marcus drove to the house. The house was blue. The door was made of solid wood. Marcus took a tension wrench from the bag. Marcus worked the lock for six minutes.

The lock clicked. The door opened. The woman thanked Marcus. Marcus did not smile. Marcus looked at a small notepad. Marcus said the cost was three hundred dollars. The woman looked at the three hundred dollars on the notepad.

Marcus looked at the woman. Marcus said he had a special rate. Marcus said the rate was two hundred dollars. Marcus said the rate only applied if the woman paid in cash right then. Marcus said the offer would expire when he walked back to the van.

The woman found two hundred dollars in a drawer. Marcus took the money. Marcus gave the woman a receipt. Marcus walked to the van. The two hundred dollars was the actual price. The three hundred dollars was a number on a notepad. Marcus used the number to create a deadline.

The Mechanics of Urgency

I design escape rooms. I am Aiden A.J. I build puzzles. I put the puzzles in small rooms. I put a clock on the wall of the room. The clock counts down from sixty minutes.

The clock creates a feeling in the players. The feeling is called urgency. When the clock shows five minutes, the players stop thinking clearly. The players drop the keys. The players scream at the locks. The players make mistakes.

I watch the players on a camera. I see that the clock is the most difficult part of the room. The puzzles are not hard. The time is hard. The time makes the puzzles seem impossible.

I discovered my phone was on mute this morning. I had missed ten calls. I looked at the ten calls on the screen. The calls were from my mother and my assistant and a man who sells wood.

I felt a tightness in my chest. I thought the world had changed while the phone was on mute. I called the people back. My mother wanted to know about a cat. My assistant wanted to know about a lightbulb. The man who sells wood wanted to know about a delivery date.

The world had not changed. The urgency was only in my head. The missed calls were just numbers on a screen. The “today only” discount is a clock on the wall.

The Ballroom and the Bribe

A couple walks through a wedding venue. The couple looks at the floor. The floor is polished. The couple looks at the ceiling. The ceiling has lights. The couple meets a coordinator. The coordinator is kind.

The coordinator shows the couple a ballroom. The coordinator shows the couple a suite for getting ready. The tour ends in a small office. The coordinator sits at a desk. The coordinator has a folder. The folder contains a contract.

The coordinator looks at the couple. The coordinator lowers her voice. The coordinator says she likes the couple. The coordinator says she wants to help the couple. The coordinator says the ceremony fee is two thousand dollars.

The coordinator says she will waive the ceremony fee. The coordinator says the fee is gone if the couple signs the contract before they leave the office.

The bride feels the tightness. The bride looks at the groom. The groom looks at the contract. The couple thinks about the two thousand dollars. The two thousand dollars feels like a gift. The couple does not want to lose the gift.

The couple signs the contract. The couple leaves the office. The couple feels a sense of relief. The relief lasts for an hour. Then the couple begins to wonder. The couple wonders if the next couple received the same gift. The couple wonders if the fee was ever real.

The Silence of the Brain

The removal of the fee is a tool. The tool is used to stop the couple from visiting the next venue. The tool is used to stop the couple from talking to their parents. The tool is used to stop the couple from sleeping on the decision.

Thinking is expensive for a seller. Thinking leads to questions. Questions lead to comparisons. Comparisons lead to a different choice. A seller wants to avoid the different choice. The seller uses a discount to buy the silence of the brain.

A discount that requires a signature now is not a discount. The discount is a fee. You pay the fee with your ability to choose freely.

“The hammer falls when the thinking stops.”

– Leo, Auctioneer

I spoke to a man named Leo. Leo is an auctioneer. Leo sells cows and tractors. Leo said a specific thing about his work. Leo knows that if a man thinks for too long, the man will realize he does not need a third tractor.

Leo moves fast. Leo speaks fast. Speed is the friend of the seller. Speed is the enemy of the buyer.

Confidence Without Clocks

When a venue is confident, the venue does not use a clock. A confident venue knows the space is good. A confident venue knows the service is good. The venue does not need to trick a couple into a signature.

The venue lets the couple walk away. The venue lets the couple think. The venue knows the couple will come back because the venue is the best choice.

Everything happens under one roof. There is no travel. There is no stress about a shuttle. There is no gap in the timeline. The people at the venue do not use the clock. The people show the brick. The people show the timber.

The people explain how the food works. The people explain how the drinks work. The people give the couple the price. The price is the price. The price does not change if the couple stays for ten minutes or ten days.

The price is based on the value of the building. The price is based on the work of the staff. The price is not a bribe for a fast decision.

The Anatomy of a Bad Decision

A fast decision is often a bad decision. In my escape rooms, a bad decision leads to a loss. In a wedding, a bad decision leads to a year of regret.

A couple should not feel a tightness in their chest when they look at a contract. A couple should feel a sense of peace. Peace comes from reflection. Peace comes from a lack of pressure.

The “today only” discount is a mirage. It looks like water. It is actually sand. If you wait until tomorrow, the discount will still be there. The coordinator will still want the booking. The venue will still have the date.

If the coordinator says the discount is gone, the coordinator is lying. A business that lies about a deadline will lie about other things. A business that lies about a deadline will lie about the quality of the food. A business that lies about a deadline will lie about the cleanliness of the suites.

The discount hides the price of the haste. I think about Marcus the locksmith. Marcus is a good locksmith. Marcus is a bad salesman. Marcus makes people feel like they are winning when they are actually just paying his bill.

Marcus would be better if he just said the price was two hundred dollars. People would still pay two hundred dollars. People would feel better about the payment. People would not feel like they were being pushed.

The World Waits

I prefer a quiet room. I prefer a room where I can hear my own thoughts. I prefer a venue that lets me stand in the center of the ballroom and imagine the music. I do not want to imagine a ticking clock. I do not want to imagine a coordinator waiting for a signature.

I want to imagine a wedding. A wedding is a slow event. A wedding is a day that should not be rushed. The planning of the wedding should not be rushed either. A man who sells you haste is selling you a mistake. A man who sells you time is selling you a service.

When I missed those ten calls, I realized something. The world waits. The man who sells wood waited. My assistant waited. My mother waited. The urgency was a ghost. I had created the ghost because I thought I was behind. I was not behind. I was just living my life.

A wedding venue should be part of your life. It should not be a ghost that chases you. Look at the brick. Look at the timber. Look at the roll-up door. Think about the people you love. Think about the food you want to eat. Do not think about the ceremony fee.

If the fee is only waived today, the fee is a lie. Walk away from the lie. Find a place that is honest. Find a place that lets you breathe. An honest place does not need a “today only” discount. An honest place is enough on its own.

I will turn my phone back to the loud setting now. I will answer the calls. I will answer the calls when I am ready. I will not let the phone dictate my speed. I will not let a coordinator dictate your speed.

The signature on the contract is yours. The money in the bank is yours. The day of the wedding is yours. You should be the one who decides when the hammer falls. You should be the one who decides when the thinking is finished.

The thinking is the most valuable thing you have. Do not sell the thinking for a two thousand dollar discount.