All Things Inspired

Nothing great was ever accomplished without making sacrifices!

Nothing great was ever accomplished without making sacrifices. Prepare yourself for the fact that sacrifice for the sake of success will be painful. Knowing that it often takes time to become an overnight success, you can begin to understand that success isn't about who you are competing against, but rather about whether you can surpass your own limitations. Thus, the first sacrifice is abandoning that which is comfortable and venturing out into the unknown.

As success and sacrifice work collectively, there can be no success without sacrifice. What are you willing to sacrifice for success? The answer to this question will vary depending on the individual and the personal limitations they have. Some have been so desperate for success that they are willing to sacrifice their soul to the devil. This is not the course I would recommend. Especially when you can make other reasonable sacrifices that won't jeopardize your integrity. You should never sacrifice your family, heart, or your dignity. At some point in our lives, we have all made sacrifices. Some are greater than others. Sacrifice is always a conscious choice, and often just temporary.

Making sacrifices to achieve success really isn't the objective as much as the personal growth we achieve in the process. Hence, if you make sacrifices for personal growth, success will become the natural outcome. To begin this topic on Sacrifice, we're going to ask and answer the following four questions...

Why is sacrifice so important, maybe more than success itself?
What does sacrifice look like?
How should you approach sacrifice?
What are the rewards of sacrifice?

This week we'll address questions 1 and 2. Next week we'll finish with 3 and 4. So, let's jump right into the first question:

Why is sacrifice so important, maybe more than success itself?

If we are not willing to put forth a sacrifice in our pursuit of success, we must be willing to settle for mediocrity. British author, Jay Shetty said, "If you don't want to sacrifice for what you want, then what you want becomes the sacrifice." Thus, sacrifice leads to reward, which often might be a sense of achievement or fulfillment.

We said earlier that sacrifice would be painful. But can we endure the pain knowing that sacrifice is usually temporary? Success doesn't come easy in life. You must want it more than you can sometimes imagine. The relationship between sacrifice and success is the willingness to give up something good now for something greater later. To answer the question, sacrifice is important, maybe more than success itself because of the experience you gain from sacrifice. Sacrifice is a vital step in your growth process on the journey of life.

The second question: What does sacrifice look like?

Again, for most people, success doesn't come easy. Success demands sacrifice, but not every successful person pays the same price for success. Could sacrifice look like the following...

Sleep? - not suggesting you forego sleep as this can be unhealthy and destroy productivity. The late actress/comedian Betty White once said that you should always get 8 hours of beauty rest, 9 if you're ugly. So, maybe you don't get 8 or 9 hours, but can you function effectively on 6 or 7? What can that other two hours be used for?
Relationships? - as mentioned earlier, never sacrifice your family! Consider the other relationships in your life such as your friends on social media or you buddy network. While these can be valuable to your well-being, do they consume too much of your time? This might also include any toxic relationships you tolerate and give time to.
Fear? - giving up fear as a sacrifice, well, that should be easy. Not so simple. We said in the past that fear is a good thing because it keeps us safe and can keep us focused on the present. The sacrifice here is when fear becomes paralyzing to your drive for success. You must overcome it and sacrifice it for your good.
Stress? - not only can it keep you from reaching your potential, but it can also literally kill you. Sacrifice the unhealthy part of stress. Learn to maintain it by increasing physical activity, spending time on enjoyable things (family, hobbies, etc.) and slowing down to celebrate your accomplishments along the way.
Other people's opinions of you? - here's an easy one. Just memorize this phrase, "what other people think of me is none of my business!"
Timewasters? - stop wasting time. Prioritize and eliminate the things that waste your time.
Sanity? - this would certainly seem to be automatic sometimes. This is where patience and trusting the process will keep your sanity in check.
Instant gratification? - this is a must sacrifice. It will always be tempting to choose an easier option. But stay the course, be patient, and give success time. Often instant gratification isn't what you thought it would be.
Comfort? - it's mediocrity's friend. Sometimes you need to put yourself in a position to take risks that make you uncomfortable. Sacrificing your comfort with how things are is a must to achieve success.

Are you ready to pay the price of sacrifice to achieve your dreams and goals? Will the temporary pain be worth the sacrifice? If you are ready to answer "yes" to these questions, then next week we'll ask and answer the questions of how you should approach sacrifice and the rewards that will follow. Don't sacrifice the opportunity to...

Be inspired! Inspire others!