Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Episode 19 – Be Willing to Make Sacrifices for Success

“Success is like anything worthwhile. It has a price. You have to pay the price to win and you have to pay the price to get to the point where success is possible. Most important, you must pay the price to stay there.” Vince Lombardi

Many people want what success will give them. For some people, it is the fancy cars, luxury homes, exotic vacations, stylish clothing, or dining experiences. For others, success is owning their own home or having the ability to send their children to college. You must define what success means to you. You will hear people talking about success and what they are going to achieve. There are only a few who will be willing to pay the price.

What? There is a price for success?

Let me reframe this for you; there are critical choices you must make to reach success.

“You do not pay the price of success; you enjoy the price of success.” Zig Ziglar

Many people want success. You will notice that few are willing to make the commitment, investment, and sacrifices to achieve great success. You have to be willing to be committed for the long haul and know that you need to make short-term sacrifices to get there.

Step Out of Your Comfort Zone

You will have to step out of your “comfort zone” that sense of security to try new things, gain more knowledge, and even take some risks. Your comfort zone is a familiar place. You know what to expect and things are pretty good where they are but not great. You do not want to rock the boat and disrupt what you have going on. The only problem is that it is predictable and does not stretch you. You no longer anticipate what your efforts will give you because you already know. Maybe you have thought about change but are fearful of failing. If you never fail in this world, you are playing so safe, you will not learn and grow and become the person that you’ve been meant to be. Imagine what life would be like if you if you could wake up each day anticipating and being excited about what you get to do and how much you get to stretch yourself into who you need to be.

What I notice is people don’t want to raise their standards or make the sacrifices. They want the easy path. Another excuse I have heard is that I’m too busy. “Busy” is the buzzword of society but I don’t believe when people say that they’re busy that there truly being productive they may be filling their time with a number of other things. We make time for what is important to us. When we say we’re too busy, it means we don’t care or somebody or something is not important to us. I’ve even heard people say success is too expensive why should I even bother. If you really want something, you will do what it takes to be, do, or have it.

Some of the sacrifices you may need to make are:

• Spending less time watching television or socializing. I know for the business owners who are into networking you may be alarmed but I want you to consider for a moment are you socializing just to go out and have drinks and eat or you being selective in your social activities to network and build relationships. I’ve been to a number of networking events where many are just there to socialize and they’re not being intentional. Could you be spending this extra time working on yourself by developing new skills or gaining more knowledge?
• Cut back on eating out. Could you be making meals at home versus eating out frequently? Look around your home there are probably several things around you that you could do without.
• De-clutter and sell things off. Consider selling some of the things to help you invest in yourself. If you’re married and have a family, share your dreams with other people and talk about the sacrifices that may need to be made to accomplish your dream. Don’t forget to find out what others dreams are so that you can help support them as well because as you support them they will support you. When those sacrifices come up and everyone is focused on the goal and the goal comes into focus, the sacrifices won’t seem as huge as mountains. They will be just something that you need to do on your way to success.
• Change up your vacation plans. Many people today are taking staycations in order to save money. There are a number of things that you could be doing in your local area or within in our vicinity that does not cost as much as taking a flight or arranging accommodations.
• Consider getting a job. Sometimes we have to swallow our pride to achieve what we want. Getting a job can help provide some of the income you need to invest in yourself. Consider the job as your investor when you reframe it this way you won’t do it begrudgingly because you know it’s going to help you get to what you want. You may have heard of people cleaning houses or delivering pizza just so that they can have some extra cash to invest in their dreams or goals.

Remember that many of the sacrifices are short term for the long-term gain. I’m not saying that you never go on vacation again or you won’t be able to eat out. What I am saying is sometimes we got to do things that others aren’t willing to do to get what we want.

Be willing to make the sacrifices and pay the price for success. When you do this you are telling the world that you know what needs to be done to achieve what you want to.

Here are 3 things that you could be doing just to focus yourself on your success:

1. Be different. Do what separates you from the crowd; it gives you the extra edge. You must do what others may not be willing to do. You may get up early to exercise or meditate to start your day. It may be that you are practicing your speech for the 50th time so you can master it. Perhaps you wanting to get into shape and you’ve taken up running or another form of exercise; you need to practice your craft or activity rain or shine to be the best. We’re currently watching the Olympics on TV; do you think those athletes got there by saying you know what I don’t feel like doing it today? They invested in themselves and they put in the hard work and they were dedicated to their success. Your Olympic medal is your dream and your goal. When serving others, think of ways that you can take initiative can increase the value that you deliver. Put in the work to get it- be different than all the rest.

Here is a short story – a children’s story that reminds us that you never know when success will come and we need to do what it takes.

“One day, a train was approaching the small town of Cheekyville. On the train was a strange guy with a big suitcase. He was called William Warbler – the man, not the suitcase – and he looked very common indeed. What made him most unusual, though, was the fact that whenever he needed to communicate he did it by singing opera. It didn’t matter to William whether it was simply a matter of answering a brief greeting, like ‘good day’. He would clear his voice and respond,

“Gooood dayyy to youuuuuuuu….. tooOOOO!”

It wouldn’t be unfair to say that almost everyone considered William Warbler a massive pain in the neck. No one could get a normal, spoken, word out of him. And, as no one knew how he made his living – and he lived quite simply, always wearing his same old second-hand suit – they often treated him with disdain.

They made fun of his singing, calling him ‘Don No One’, ‘Poor-Rotti’, and ‘Lazy Miserables’. William had been in Cheekyville for some years, when, one day, a rumor spread round town like wildfire: William had secured a role in a very important opera in the nation’s capital, and there were posters everywhere advertising the event.

Everyone in the capital went to see it, and it was a great success. At the end of its run – to everyone in Cheekyville’s surprise – when William was being interviewed by reporters, he answered their questions by speaking rather than singing. And he did it with great courtesy, and with a clears and pleasant voice.

From that day, William gave up singing at all hours. Now he did it only during his stage appearances and world tours. Some people suspected why he had changed, but others still had no idea, and continued believing him to be somewhat mad. They wouldn’t have thought so if they had seen what William kept in his big suitcase. It was a large stone, with a hand-carved message on it.

The message said: “Practice, my boy. Practice every second, for you never know when your chance will come.”

Little did people realize that he only got the role in the opera because the director had heard William singing while out buying a newspaper.”

Pedro Pablo Sacristán

2. Pay attention to the little things. The smallest task may seem mundane but if you repeat it over time it has the compound effect in assuring your success. Some people don’t like numbers so they avoid them. Knowing how much money is coming in and going out can make a huge impact on the decisions you make. Compare and contrast new ideas so that you can gain a full perspective and get creative with your approach to challenges.
3. Visualize your goal or dream. If you can’t see what you’re going after, how will you know when you’ve gotten there or what you need to do to accomplish it? Take time to get clear on what it is you want to achieve. If you want to climb the corporate ladder, speak to someone who’s gotten there. Ask them what it took to get there. Map out your goal or dream in detail. This is where preparation meets success. By mapping out all the details, you will be able to identify and eliminate any risks, you can identify resources and people who you need to speak with, and you are able to understand the order or sequence of milestones that you need to achieve on your journey. Truly it is not about the destination, it is who you become in the process-the

Make a commitment to yourself to regularly step out of your comfort zone because the more you get comfortable, the less open your mind is to make a change in going after what you really want in life. If you say it, start doing it. There are only so many hours in a day so the right time is now. Be willing to sacrifice what it takes to get the success that you want and soon enough you will have it.

“(You)can be as great as (you)want to be. If you believe in yourself and have the courage, the determination, the dedication, the competitive drive, and if you are willing to sacrifice the little things in life and pay the price for the things that are worthwhile, it can be done.” Vince Lombardi (adapted)

DEBRA KASOWSKI, BScN CEC is an award-winning best-selling author, transformational speaker, blogger, and Certified Executive Coach. She has a heart of a teacher and is certified in Appreciative Inquiry and Emotional Intelligence. Her writing has been published in a variety of print and online magazines. Debra Kasowski International helps executives, entrepreneurs, and organizations boost their productivity, performance, and profits. It all starts with people and passion. Sign up the Success Secrets Newsletter and get your free mp3 download today! www.debrakasowski.com

Time: 16:44 min

Keywords: Sacrifice for success, be willing to pay the price, commitment, invest in yourself, make the investment, practice, practice makes perfect, hard work, effort, dedication