What are you willing to give up to gain?

One of my favorite things to do is dream about the future. It’s exciting to think about the possibilities that it holds and what new and exciting things we’ll get to experience. Having a dream helps you to create goals, and having goals helps you to achieve them.

You’ve got a big idea, created your goals, bought a new notebook just for it and even scheduled time to work on the plan. You’re super excited and can’t stop thinking about it. Then comes along this skipping, whistling thing called reality. A deadline pops up that needs take care of, you get sick, your dog pukes on the carpet or your finances take a shift that requires your attention elsewhere. There’s about a thousand distractions a day (or an hour) that has the potential to take you off the path to your goal.

I encourage you to ask yourself, “How bad do I want this?” Weight is a common goal people work towards, so let’s use that as an example. Maybe you see people on Instagram or Facebook that appear to have their health in the shape you strive for. You know the ones with the six pack abs, golden brown tan and perfectly curated workout outfit. You think, damn! If they can do that, so can I! The only difference between you and them is they were willing to put in the work to get it. Are there other circumstances involved, absolutely? But as a whole, they put in the time and effort, they stayed on their plan, they went to the gym regularly. If they fell off the bandwagon, they got back on.

Having this mindset also helps you recognize what is most important to you. As much as I’d love to have a six pack, I’m not overly interested in doing the work it takes to get that. It’s simply just not that important to me. So instead, I find peace in health goals I want to achieve and put my energy into something that I WILL work hard for. We’ve got some big plans for 2019 and those plans require me to bunker down and do the work. Without it, those plans will never come to fruition.

The only difference between you and someone who has what you strive for is this; they did what it took to get there.

In her video email this week, author Valorie Burton asked this powerful question: “What will you have to give up in order to get what you want?” Working towards your dream requires that you temporarily give something up in exchange for it, knowing that where you’re headed has a greater return.

Starting a business requires a lot of time away from social events. Losing weight requires giving up crappy food. Growing your business requires getting out of your comfort zone. Healing your past requires you to invest in yourself and face things you don’t want to. Going on a dream vacation may need you to be more diligent about your regular spending so you can afford to. And so on.

Every great thing in our life requires that we give something else up to create it. A mindset shift can help you to not feel like you’re missing out on something, but rather gaining the very thing that you long for.