Sacrifice and Compromise

Ever heard these two words put together in an attractive way? Nope, didn’t think so. That is because they call for us to act in a way that leads to discomfort. What is even more discouraging is that they are necessary in every successful and happy relationship we will ever have in our lives! On both ends of any successful relationship there must live both of these things.

Sacrifice

the act of giving up something that you want to keep especially in order to get or do something else or to help someone

This could mean losing something or not pursuing something you want, or doing without the outcome you hoped for.

Compromise

accept standards that are lower than is desirable.

This one’s simple and how I view meeting someone “halfway” it takes compromise.

Here is the real kicker though guys, this is also what it takes to reach your goals in life, to any degree. Some people will look at the above definitions and agree with one and not the other or argue for or against both. I am here to say that in my long 35 years (joking obviously) I’ve seen that they are both present. It takes relentless sacrifice of time, resources, energy to achieve anything. And while compromise isn’t something you often think about when chasing a goal, it’s there. To be great as a entrepreneur you may compromise time with your family or friends, to be great as a power lifter you will be compromising your abilities as an endurance athlete or vice versa. To reach extraordinary levels at anything a few compromises are inevitable.

I wrote this today so we could be aware of this in order to ask ourselves a question. How bad do we want exceptional relationships? How bad to we want exceptional careers? And honestly, what sacrifices and compromises are we willing to make in order to see them through? No one said rising up would come easy.