The Necessity For Sacrifice
Question from LinkedIn User: I really want to be where you are and I'm not afraid to work hard. What do I have to do?
Sacrifice and Delayed Gratification. These are important building blocks to achieving your aims and goals.
My son, a cross country runner, decided sophomore year of high school that he wanted to run distance for a D1 school. I sat him down and said: To achieve that goal you will have to make sacrifices. You’ll have to run when it’s cold. When it’s early. You’ll have to give up time with your friends. You’ll have to battle within yourself The Easy versus The Hard. And you’ll have to choose to let The Hard win.
Did he achieve his goal? He did! And the thing I’m most proud of: his willingness, drive and dedication to make sacrifices and delay instant gratification for a seemingly far off goal. The other side to this story though is he’s been injured since arriving as a Freshman. It’s been a constant battle. One thing after another. We are hopeful that this next spring semester, his Sophomore year, he will be able to compete in his first official collegiate race. But what has this kid been doing in the meantime? Has he given up? Does he spend time complaining? A resounding NO! He has fought hard through every injury. He bounds back and begins yet again training and building miles. I cannot even imagine how frustrating this has been for him. He has been working on this goal for four years now and has yet had the opportunity to fully realize his dream. I am extremely proud of him, whatever the outcome.
Life is hard. To be successful in both your career and personal life, it will require a certain toughness to push through the hard stuff. And the journey to your goals most likely won’t look like what you’ve planned. “Man plans his way, but God orders his steps.” has helped me to have proper perspective. I am going to have a plan for my future, all the while knowing that I need to remain flexible for the changes that inevitable will come. And while this may seem futile, it is not. What happens while you are practicing sacrifice and delaying instant gratification, you are building this strength within you. They become easier over time. And they also teach you very valuable things about yourself: how you operate; how others operate; how life works; AND how you will be OK even when life unexpectedly veers off path. You will see that you are strong and brave and far more capable than you realized. This is one of the most significant endeavors you can undertake. And, dare I say, how my son has persevered this last year and a half. He had been practicing what he was going to need to be successful under an extremely difficult season.
The new year is upon us. I typically don’t make New Year’s Resolutions as I’m always evaluating my career and personal life. Making necessary adjustments, changes and sacrifices as needed. But I do think it’s a great time to evaluate oneself. Are you where you want to be? In all honesty, the answer should be “No”. We never arrive. There’s always something to work on. What will you be working on in 2021?