What Trade-Offs Are You Willing to Make to Achieve Sucess?
Written by Coaching Blog on September 17, 2024
Something’s gotta give.
You can achieve almost anything you desire in life, but you can’t have everything you want all at once. There is only so much time, money, and attention available. Every activity, distraction, and expenditure takes away from your ability to focus your resources on something else.
Getting what you want most often requires sacrificing some things you also enjoy. Saving up for a house might mean forgoing nights out at the movies. Aspiring to be a top basketball player might require giving up other sports, like football. Want to start your own business? You may need to make significant sacrifices to turn that dream into reality.
What are you prepared to give up to make your dreams a reality?
1. People
Reflect on all the people you regularly see or talk to in your life. Consider how your relationship with each person affects your life. Does each of them help or hinder your chances of achieving your goals?
- Very few people in your life have a neutral impact. Almost everyone is either a positive influence or a negative one, depending on how they affect your progress.
- Be willing to distance yourself from those who are obstacles to achieving your desires.
2. Activities
Do you aspire to be an entrepreneur but also love playing golf several times a week? As a budding business owner, you won’t have time to spend 12+ hours a week on the golf course.
- Think about your hobbies and pastimes. Do you need to give up some or all of these activities? Which of them are holding you back?
3. Habits
Everyone has habits, and not all are bad. Good habits can help you accomplish positive things without much thought or effort, like brushing your teeth. However, many habits are detrimental. Harmful habits can negatively impact your health, relationships, or waste a lot of your time.
- Consider all your habits and how they influence your ability to achieve what you want in life.
4. Distractions
Watching TV, browsing the internet, reading fiction, and playing video games are common distractions. While enjoyable, they can consume a lot of time without providing many tangible benefits.
- How do you distract yourself when you’re bored, lonely, anxious, or experiencing other uncomfortable emotions? Are there any distractions you need to eliminate from your life?
5. Beliefs
Many of the beliefs you hold may be limiting your progress. For example, if you believe you can’t achieve something or that a task is more difficult than it actually is, you’re less likely to succeed.
- Perhaps you have beliefs that lead you to passively rely on things like prayer instead of taking action to change your circumstances. Do you believe you’re not capable or deserving of success?
- Which beliefs are acting as barriers in your life? Evaluate your beliefs and consider how they affect you.
6. Comfort
One thing that successful people have learned to give up is comfort. While their lives may appear comfortable from the outside, successful people often achieve their status because they’re willing to do what most people won’t. Many shy away from these actions because they’re uncomfortable.
- Taking calculated risks, making cold calls, forming partnerships, asking banks for financing, accepting criticism, failing—these are just a few tasks that can make most people uncomfortable.
- How much discomfort are you willing to endure?
Achieving your goals may mean giving up things you enjoy. Big dreams require significant time and energy that can’t be wasted on other pursuits. Additionally, certain behaviors can hinder reaching specific goals. How dedicated are you? What are you prepared to sacrifice to achieve success?
