Big dreams require big sacrifices. The strength to make those sacrifices requires focus, clarity of purpose, and the willingness to swim upstream.
The road to success can often be a lonely one. There will be times when you are up late or up early working alone while your friends or family hang out laughing and having a good time or sleep in late. There will be precious moments that conflict with your schedule, and you will either miss them because you happened to be away or be forced to make tough choices between family experiences and opportunities to advance your dreams. There will be moments of pain, anxiety, and disappointment that no one close to you fully understands, leaving you to sort things out and push through it alone. You will sometimes question yourself as a friend, spouse, parent, son, or daughter. You will be tempted in those moments to walk away from your dream to join what everyone else around you is doing and meet their expectations. After all, why should YOU always have to miss out on the fun?
If you are feeling or have ever felt this way, you are not alone. The journey to achieving a big dream can be cold, lonely, and even feel sad at times, but I am here to encourage you to fight through it. I know it’s not easy, but it’s worth it. If it were easy everyone would do it.
Of course you should make time to enjoy life, rest, and spend time with loved ones. When you do, it is important to make those moments as fun and memorable as possible and be one hundred percent present. However, you should also embrace the fact that, in order to achieve a big dream, there WILL be many times when you have to miss out on fun experiences in order to devote more time to your life’s work. What comes in handy in these moments is a healthy perspective.
Instead of thinking of it as “missing out,” try thinking of it as OPTING IN to achieve something amazing. Even when you choose to do something that’s painful or unenjoyable at the moment, the choice is still yours and the power is in your hands. You COULD choose to hang out late with your friends, spend more time with family, and sleep in more regularly, but that could mean sacrificing your dream in the process. You are instead CHOOSING to make a short-term sacrifice for a long-term payoff that has great meaning not only to you, but those you serve. There is honor in that decision and you should take great joy in knowing the ultimate outcome will be well worth the sacrifice.
I know it gets hard sometimes but HOLD STRONG. Focus on your “why” and your long-term objectives by regularly visualizing in great detail exactly what you are working toward. What will life look like once you reach your goals? How will achieving your dream and demonstrating hard work and sacrifice benefit your family? What impact will it have on the world? Even keep visuals close by that represent your dream. A vision board is a great tool to keep you focused on the true meaning of what you are working to accomplish (for tips CLICK HERE). Then, when attractive alternatives for your time present themselves to tempt you away from your dream, you will have less trouble remembering the power and significance behind your sacrifices.
Jonathan Clark is a life coach for adults and youth who specializes in identity and helping people manage themselves better to achieve goals. He is also the author of Quote Quest, a guide to creating a life of purpose, fulfillment, and success. Purchase Quote Quest on Amazon and follow Jonathan on Instagram or Facebook at Cra-Z-Dreams life coaching for more powerful content to improve your life.
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