Are You Willing To Sacrifice To Reach Your Goals?

by derek on September 27, 2007 · 28 comments

How much are you willing to sacrifice in order to reach your goals?
Many of the goals that you set for yourself will not be easy to achieve without some degree of sacrifice on your part. You might have a goal of improving your physical fitness but that is going to be very difficult to achieve if you cannot make the sacrifice of sticking to a healthy eating plan and exercising regularly.
It is very easy to make excuses as to why you cannot achieve your goals but often times it comes down to the fact that you were not able to make the necessary sacrifices.
Last night I was watching the latest episode of The Ultimate Fighter and could not help but think that the fighter eliminated in the first episode is not willing to make the sacrifices necessary to reach his goal of being in the UFC. Since being eliminated, Joe Scarola has been whining about how he wants to go home and be with his girlfriend. Chances are that those thoughts were in his mind as he was being submitted during his fight as well.
If you give up on your goals at the first sign of adversity, you are going to have a very difficult time achieving any of your goals.
Tonight I was chatting with a friend of mine about an old project that we had been working on but put on the shelf when we did not achieve the results we had been hoping for in the beginning. As we were talking about this project we questioned how much we would have to do in order to resurrect this project and get it to where we need to be.
Our initial thought is that we can each spend approximately two hours per night working on this project and get it hammered out in about two weeks.
Is it going to be easy to do? Not by a long shot.
Between my day job, blogging and the time I like to spend with my family it will be hard to set aside two hours each night. In order to achieve this goal I will be required to sacrifice some of the time I spend each night reading and commenting on other blogs, working on my own blogs and maybe even some of my play time with the kids.
I’m at a point where I need to decide if I truly believe in this project and the goal that we have. If I do believe in the goal then I need to commit to making the sacrifices necessary to provide the two hours per night to work on this project. Time will tell if I can follow through as it is easier to say you will make the sacrifices than it is to actually make the sacrifices.
Take a look at your own goals and honestly evaluate whether or not you are willing to sacrifice in order to reach your goals.
Would you rather “veg” in front of the TV as the season premiers kick off or do you want to work towards your goals? Do you want to go out with your friends on Friday night or do you want to work towards your goals? Is that burger and Coke more important than your goals?
The sacrifices you need to make will be dependent on your goals but when the rubber meets the road, you need to decide what is more important to you.

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{ 22 comments… read them below or add one }

Damien Riley September 27, 2007 at 11:09 pm

Sounds like a cool project! If you believe in it, you should go the distance!

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Damien Riley September 28, 2007 at 12:23 am

Tagged ya with a cool meme!

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Leo September 28, 2007 at 1:44 am

I’m happy “vegging” in front of the TV, except in my line of work I get to write it off as research 😉

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mortgage marketing September 28, 2007 at 2:52 pm

Quite interesting site and post, Derek, I’ve bookmarked it and will return.

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matt October 1, 2007 at 4:56 pm

Derek, I love The Ultimate Fighter and I thought the same thing! Man, he got that far and then just quit??? No way. I don’t know what your project is, but if you’re passionate about it and the upside potential is worth it; what’s a couple weeks? If you’re tired, drink another cup of coffee! I say go for it.

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derek October 1, 2007 at 10:13 pm

Matt, thanks for stopping by and sharing your support. The project relates to money and the upside potential is a nice fat bank account so I certainly think it is worth it. 🙂

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matt October 1, 2007 at 10:27 pm

There it is, my man. Get it done…I’ll buy the coffee!

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Nicole Price April 29, 2008 at 1:13 am

Its easy saying that going for your goals is what you should do. But a little time for yourself and your family is also very important. No doubt you should work hard and try and get where you want to but living a balanced life is what we all aim for right?
Nicole Price’s last blog post..The Best ‘Money’ Songs Ever

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iphone guy May 5, 2008 at 5:02 am

Seems the person had a lack of commitment. If you are unable to sacrifice things for your cause then it is obviously something which is unimportant for you.
John

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Daniel June 10, 2008 at 3:40 am

A little time for yourself and your family is also very important…

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Tiger Lily@How To Lose Belly Fat Fast June 20, 2008 at 12:17 am

I agree, but I also think it’s important not to frame it in terms of a sacrifice. It makes the effort far greater, something to be endured. I always think of my goals in positive terms. Not focusing on the time lost with friends or family, or missing out on pigging out on junk food, but the positive returns of the commitment.
Tiger Lilys last blog post..Foods That Help You Lose Weight

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Steve@Free iPods June 30, 2008 at 11:45 am

I’ve been in a bit of situation lately, the better half wants to spend more time doing other things (and so do I, now the summer is here in the UK) but she also doesn’t want to lose the income that my online time generates.
Cake and eat it springs to mind!

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Raul@precor home gym November 26, 2008 at 1:40 pm

thinking of it as sacrifice is a defeatist term. its a lifestyle change that will produce benefits. you are giving up destructive behavior – not sacrificing.

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Mathew day March 5, 2009 at 11:29 pm

We need to experience a little sacrifice in order for us to achieve our goals in life.Its like saying no guts..no glory..we need set aside some things that are least important for us to achieve more or prior things in life.

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Lose Belly Fat Fast November 10, 2009 at 12:24 pm

There’s a quote I love that goes something like this: “The temptation to quit will be the strongest just as you’re about to succeed”. I’ve found that this is especially true when you’re dieting! LOL 😛
.-= Lose Belly Fat Fast´s last blog …Burn Belly Fat Fast with My Diet =-.

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derek November 10, 2009 at 2:51 pm

As someone that should be dieting – or should I say living a healthier lifestyle – I will say that I didn’t think success was right around the corner when I fell off the exercise and good food wagon. 🙂
But I know what you mean…you’ve got to stick it out and keep plugging away.

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Melt Belly Fat November 19, 2009 at 1:23 pm

Dieting is an area where people often have to sacrifice in order to accomplish their goals. I think it’s important to look at your situation with as objective a perspective as you can. If your goal is to lose your belly fat you need to be absolutely clear about why you want to lose weight. If your reasons are less important to you than the enjoyment you get from eating fatty foods then you are going to have a hard time sticking to your diet plan.
.-= Melt Belly Fat´s last blog …Keys to Reducing Belly Fat =-.

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David March 27, 2010 at 9:00 pm

There is a fine line between pursuing a worthy goal with diligence and chasing after a pipe dream. Be honest with yourself about your realistic chances of success and stay the course but if you are going after a goal that is out of your reach then maybe you should rethink your priorities.
.-= David hopes you will read… How To Become a Mortgage Broker =-.

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Tom January 15, 2011 at 2:38 pm

Bigger sacrifices normally = bigger rewards!

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Ab Machine March 3, 2011 at 11:33 am

Nothing in life is easy, so if you really want something bad you have to work at it. I have found that if I write my goals down that I stick to them. I look over them everyday to keep myself motivated. If you are willing to work hard once you reach you goals it is going to be so rewarding.

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how to lose belly fat in 1 week June 7, 2011 at 2:42 am

I’ve been in a bit of situation lately, the better half wants to spend more time doing other things (and so do I, now the summer is here in the UK) but she also doesn’t want to lose the income that my online time generates.
Cake and eat it springs to mind!

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Mandy@mortgages April 17, 2012 at 1:14 pm

I am extremely impressed with your writing skills and also
with the layout on your blog. Is this a paid theme or did you modify it yourself?
Anyway keep up the excellent quality writing, it is rare to see a nice blog like this one these days.

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