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How much do you want it?
How much do you think it is worth? Your time, your friends? Your family? Your job? This is what defines its importance. What is it to you? Does it define you? Is it what makes you want to get up in the morning?
In my last post, I talked about limitations and how they can define you and the things you want. So how bad do you want it, and what can you give up?
This is why it is so critical that you don’t compare yourself with anyone. You never know what they had to give up to be where they are.
This is why you are the best measure of the place you are trying to reach and the steps it will take to get there.
So I ask again, how bad do you want it?
What a sacrifice looks like
People illustrations by Storyset
In ancient times, the Israelites would gather together as a ceremony to kill a part of their flock. This was the time when man had transitioned from hunter-gatherers and had settled into the more agrarian farming and husbandry lifestyle that still exists today.
There are so many chapters in the book of Leviticus about making sacrifices. There is the passage about Cain and Abel that is a perfect example of what God saw as a worthy sacrifice over a more unworthy one.
It goes back to Cain’s intention, attitude, and intentions towards the process. Some interpreters say that it was his faith and his devotion.
What other scholars had to say was that the quality of the sacrifice was not worth what he was demanding from God.
How to Sacrifice
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This is not going to be a portion of my article where I tell you to place your thumb on the head of a goat or calf and kill it. All that was perfectly laid out in religious books.
Modern-day, whether you choose to see it or not, people are still making sacrifices, and some of them are still being seen by God as worthy and taken. Here are ways that what you set aside for God (and yourself) can lead to pleasing results.
The first step to making a sacrifice for what you want is to identify what it is that you want. What thing are you trying to pursue? What success would count for you? Is it professional, academic, or maybe it is personal or health-related?
Find out what needs to go for that goal to happen. This is where it becomes hard…you need to ask yourself, what is taking up your time and taking you away from your goal? Could it be leisure time, spending habits, or changes in your diet?
After finding out what needs to go, it is time to make a plan to stay away from these things that will distract you. One very important way of doing this is by building a schedule or routine for the sacrifices you need to make.
Taking action on the plan is the only way that you will know if the plan works or if it will fail. If the plan fails, you need to ask yourself why it is failing and how you can make adjustments.
In some instances, you just need to be committed to the act and show up every day trying to attain that important goal.
There is a popular quote by Jay Shetty on Twitter that says:
If you do not sacrifice for what you want, what you want becomes a sacrifice.
It's not worth the sacrifice
People illustrations by Storyset
While more often than not, this is a subjective topic under the topic of sacrifice, there are some parts of your life that are not worth the sacrifice. These parts of your life usually fall under the categories of health, wealth, love, and values.
Some people will go sleep-deprived, struggle with **memory issues **(because you need sleep for adequate memory), struggle with depression and anxiety, and other sleep-related health issues without realizing that the body eventually will make atonement for all that as it keeps the score.
Other people will sacrifice their financial stability because of a long-term goal they have not made plans for. There is a likelihood even if the plan is well laid out that it will fail for reasons that are out of your control. You should keep that in mind.
Sacrificing relationships with family and friends…there is nothing wrong with letting them know that you need to take out time for yourself. Even if it is time within the day or days within the week or weeks as the case may be. But some people will ghost on good family because they want to achieve certain goals.
Lastly, personal values that may include all of the above or specific ones that mean a lot to the person. If you give up your cultural, religious, or personal values, you will pay in the end psychologically.
That said, these are all subjective, as I mentioned above. While one person may need to be sleep deprived once in a year for a few weeks, or may need to pay rent, or have bad friends that are holding them back, or have values that are not worth adhering to, others may have the exact opposite.
Are you being held back by indiscipline and an inability to sacrifice for the things you need?
Conclusion
In conclusion, making sacrifices is a critical part of achieving the things we want in life. It requires us to identify our goals, determine what needs to go, and create a plan to stay on track.
While sacrifices are necessary, it's important to recognize that some things in life are not worth sacrificing, such as our health, financial stability, relationships, and personal values. Ultimately, the key is to strike a balance and make informed decisions based on our unique circumstances and priorities.
So, ask yourself, are you willing to make the necessary sacrifices to achieve your goals?
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What sacrifices have you made in your life to achieve a goal, and were they worth it? How do you determine what is worth sacrificing for, and what is not?
What role does discipline play in making sacrifices to achieve your goals? Have you ever sacrificed something that you later regretted? What did you learn from that experience?