You can have just about anything you want in life, but you can’t have
everything you want. There’s only so much time, money, and attention
to go around. Every activity, distraction, and expense takes away from
your ability to spend your time and money on something else.
Getting the things you want the most often means giving up some
things you like a lot. Saving up money for a house might involve giving
up going to the movies. Becoming a star basketball player might entail
giving up football. Do you want to start your own business? You might
have to give up a lot to make that dream come true.
What are you willing to give up to make your dreams come true?
- People. Think about all of the people in your life that you see or speak to with regularity. Now, think about how your association with those people impacts your life. Do each of those help or hinder the likelihood of your achievement of your goals? There are very few people in your life that are truly neutral. Nearly everyone is either a blessing or curse when you consider the impact they have on your life. Be willing to give up those people that are obstacles to achieving what you desire.
2. Activities. Do you dream of becoming an entrepreneur, but you love playing a full round of golf three times each week? As a budding self-employed businessman or woman, you don’t have time to play golf for 12+ hours each week. Think about your hobbies and other activities. Do you need to give up some or all of these activities? Which activities are getting in the way?
3. Habits. We all have habits, and not all habits are bad. Habits can be a way to get positive things done without having to put a lot of thought or effort into them. Brushing your teeth is a great example. However, many habits are harmful. Bad habits can be
detrimental to your health, relationships, or are just a huge waste of time. Consider all of your habits and how they impact your ability to get what you want from life.
4. Distractions. Watching TV, spending time on the internet, reading fiction, and playing video games are examples of distractions. These are enjoyable, but can chew up a lot of time and provide few tangible benefits. What are the ways you distract yourself when you’re bored, lonely, anxious, or feeling another uncomfortable emotion? Do you need to remove any of these from your life?
5. Beliefs. Many of the beliefs you have are impeding your progress. For example, if you believe that you can’t accomplish something, or that some action is much harder than it really is, you’ll be less likely to be successful. Maybe you have religious beliefs that encourage you to passively rely solely on prayer instead of taking responsibility for your results in life. Do you believe that you’re not capable or deserving of success? Which of your beliefs are serving as obstacles in your life? Examine your beliefs and consider their impact.
6. Comfort. One of the things successful people have learned to give up is comfort. Their lives might look comfortable from the outside, but successful people are often successful because they are willing to do the things that the average person is not. Average people won’t do these things because they’re uncomfortable. Taking calculated risks, making cold calls, creating partnerships, begging banks for financing, taking criticism, failing, and a whole slew of other tasks make the average person’s skin crawl. How uncomfortable are you willing to be? Getting what you want might mean giving up what you like. Big dreams
require a lot of time and energy that can’t be squandered on other things. Also, some behaviors are detrimental to reaching certain goals. How committed are you? What are you willing to give up to be successful?
