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5 Sacrifices You Must Make to Be Successful

A lighted path going around a corner representing the road of success

Success and sacrifice go hand in hand.

 

Successful people are often known as the type who never sacrifice anything to get what they want, but this couldn’t be further from the truth.

Successful people have worked for years and sacrificed everything they have to get where they are today.

They don’t just put in ten hours a day and leave when their time is up—they work hard every second of their lives with no regrets or complaints.

This article will talk about 5 sacrifices you must make to be successful!

 

Why Is Sacrifice Important for Success?

Successful people don’t stop until they are successful, and even when they’ve achieved success, they keep pushing their limits.

They will sacrifice anything and everything to get what they want in life, even if it means giving up their time with friends or family.

Successful people know that the only thing worse than going at it alone is not trying at all.

Sacrifices shape how successful you are. What you’re willing to give up and hold on to will determine the speed of your successes.

Sacrifices are important because if you want something new in life, something old has to go. That’s simply all it takes to be successful.

Making sacrifices doesn’t mean that you need to sacrifice your firstborn or your family’s dog to some weird magical being to achieve success.

It means that you must be willing to:

  • sleep in non-ideal places
  • cook your own meals instead of eating in restaurants
  • lose hours of sleep
  • skip vacation trips
  • miss birthdays and holiday parties 
  • avoid doing things for pure pleasure

Success requires an eternal commitment and a stubbornness to work hard every single day, no matter what challenges or sweet distractions may arise.

 

What Sacrifices Make You Successful?

The journey of a thousand miles begin with a single step - Lao Tzu in regards to success

You are the ruler of your future. When you choose to step out of your comfort zone, you’ll begin to live the life you envision.

Your comfort zone is the number one factor that will delay your progress in life.

Think about it. When you’re home alone, curled up on the couch under a warm blanket watching your favorite movie or tv show, moving to get a snack, drink some water, or answer the door is the last thing you’ll want to do. You have found the perfect position, and only a catastrophe will get you up and moving.

The same concept applies to your goals and your life. If you’ve subconsciously decided that you’re comfortable right where you are in life, the only thing that will get you moving is a massive wake-up call.

You will complain about nothing happening for you while never taking the initiative to improve your situation.

You have to decide what sacrifices you need to make in order to be successful. There’s no one-size-fits-all scenario when it comes to your goals in life. What works for someone else might not work for you.

Everyone has their own journey to make, and to work hard in ways you know best will get you to achieve your dreams more quickly than following precisely what someone else did.

Don’t get me wrong. It’s good to study what other people have done before personally learning what works and what doesn’t. However, remember that there’s no one else in this entire world like you. You have your own experiences, and that plays a huge role in how you do things. Take the advice from others who have done it before and make it your own by customizing it exactly how you want.

Don’t reinvent the wheel. Simply, add your personality to it.

 

How to Develop a Success Mindset

  1. Be willing to sacrifice your time
  2. Sacrifice your relationships with family and friends 
  3. Sacrifice your hobbies 
  4. Sacrifice comfort 
  5. Sacrifice expectations

Let’s break down each section more.

Sacrifice Your Time

A single water drop causes a ripple in a still pond

Time is your most valuable asset.

If you waste your time chasing pipe dreams instead of working toward your goals, you’ll never be able to reclaim that lost time.

Time is something no one can control.

We all have the same 24 hours in a day, and it’s up to us how we spend them.

The pursuit of success comes at a cost, and true success is only achieved by those willing to sacrifice their playtime for productivity.

 

Sacrifice Your Relationships

The ladder of success leads to places unknown and unseen

If they love you and want to see you succeed, they’ll understand.

Relationships with family and friends will suffer when you’re pursuing your goals.

You won’t be able to spend time with them like you used to, and your loved ones will often feel left out of your life.

It’s crucial that you communicate this matter with them, so there are no surprises when it happens. If they truly care about you, then their support will be unconditional. Success is worth the sacrifice!

Another thing to keep vigilant about is the friends you will lose when you start pursuing your goals. Not everyone in your life will be happy that you’re breaking away from the norm. Fortunately, the ladder of success will shake these non-supporters off your back the higher you climb.

Don’t lose hope when this starts to happen. Look at it this way if you don’t have haters, you’re not doing something great with your life.

 

“There’s a reason why a bus is a 50-seater while a Ferrari is a two-seater”

 

Sacrifice Your Hobbies 

People partying in a dark room
There are no shortcuts or guarantees that will get you where you want, but one thing is certain, you cannot keep doing the same things and expect a different outcome.

That is the definition of insanity, according to the great Albert Einstein.

 

Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results - Albert Einstein

 

“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.” – Albert Einstein

In order to have a successful life, you need to sacrifice some of your hobbies for your greater goals.

Utilize your hobbies to help you refocus and re-energize yourself so you can keep pushing forward.

 

Sacrifice Comfort 

Even the most successful people have given up plenty to get where they are, and there’s no getting around what it takes to be at the top of your game.

Your comfort zone is your safe space, and successful people rarely feel comfortable in a comfort zone. They might enjoy it for a few months or a few years but pushing themselves beyond comfort every day is what keeps them successful.

Don’t allow your pursuit of happiness and success to be sidetracked by temporary comfort.

 

Sacrifice Expectations

On your personal development journey, you’ll learn that expectations are the main thing that delays your progress in life. Your stubbornness to let go of what you think your future should look like instead of going with the flow and allowing life to exceed your expectations can be your biggest downfall.

Refusing to sacrifice your ideal living arrangement temporarily will keep you living in a fantasy world and prevent you from achieving your goals.

Let go of how you expect a situation to turn out by setting your goal and working towards that goal. Wherever that journey takes you, follow it diligently. Make sacrifices when necessary, and understand that things don’t always go the way you plan.

Success is a journey, not an end goal.

Success will only be achieved if you keep your eyes on what truly matters in life while avoiding all distractions.

 

Action Step: Seven Journal Prompts

Answer these seven journal prompt questions to help you make better decisions about what sacrifices to make.

  1. What do I have to sacrifice in my personal life in order to achieve this goal?
  2. How can I maintain a healthy balance between my social and family life while conquering this career goal?
  3. List all the sacrifices I have to make (Start with five).
  4. What sacrifice is the hardest for me right now? Why?
  5. Are any of the sacrifices I have to make worth it?
  6. Have personal relationships in the past suffered because of my success?
  7. What challenges will I face if I choose to pursue this goal? 

 

Willing to Sacrifice

Sacrifices must be made if you want success in life.

You have to let go of temporary pleasures, like socializing every day, playing games, or watching TV all the time, for long-term success. 

Life will never be what you expect it to be, so let go of your expectations and allow yourself to live in the moment.

Ponder this last question:

Are you willing to make the sacrifices needed to achieve your goals?

 

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Jody

Jody

Jody is a creative writer, artist, graphic designer, and a digital nomad who also helps people live more fulfilling lives by finding creative solutions to their personal growth and development problems and lifestyle challenges.

3 thoughts on “5 Sacrifices You Must Make to Be Successful”

  1. Hi

    This promotes a really unhealthy mentality based on capitalism and pushing ourselves without a focus on self care. This mentality pushed me into driving my chronically ill body into the ground. It also is what Simone Biles was fighting against when she stepped back at the Olympics. This is super negative for mental health

    1. Jody

      Hi J, I’m sorry you feel that way about the article. This entire blog is focused on personal development, self-care, and personal growth.

      As the article explains sacrifices are a must in order to succeed, meaning if you continue doing exactly what you’ve always done, as in hang out with family and friends 100% of the time or spend all your days playing video games and not working towards your goals, there will be no room for the change you want to see in your life.

      Having said that, a healthy self-care routine is also very important for your mental health and I speak from experience with chronic depression, anxiety, and chronic pain. You cannot and should not work 24/7, 365, it is unhealthy and you will burn out and it sounds like that’s what happened to you. I understand this feeling very well because it has happened to me multiple times before I learned how to manage my time and focus only on what truly matters.

      Thank you for reading and commenting, I appreciate your feedback.

  2. Yes, sacrifice and success go hand in hand. You have to want to be successful as badly as you want to breathe. Only then will you be successful

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