By RealGoesRight
A conversation between Greatness, Sacrifice, Compromise, and someone who’s stupid enough to pretend these things aren’t interrelated. We’ll call that person…”G.”
G: Alright. So check this out. I have all these plans I wish to accomplish and a lifetime to accomplish them. I know you’re in my future and I just have to put in enough work to find you. So for the next few years of my life, I’ll sacrifice and compromise whatever I have to in order to make sure I reach you.
Greatness: Son, let me start by saying it’s admirable you wish to find me. Many people search for me and quit before they ever reach me. Or they simply change what it is they believe I am, which often times is something much more miniscule than what I originally intended to be. I encourage everyone to shoot as high as they like, but has anyone ever bothered to tell you what it’d cost for you to reach me?
G: Yeah. Compromise and Sacrifice. Everybody knows that. In the pursuit of you, a person must be willing to become very familiar with the two, because there is no way to reach you without paying the cost.
Greatness: Agreed, but have you ever taken stock to think about what it would actually cost to reach me? Meaning, has anybody ever explained to you what exactly you’d have to compromise and sacrifice?
G: Umm….No?
Sacrifice: Kid, in order for you to reach Greatness, I’m going to become your best friend. And your worst nightmare. I show up at the most inconvenient times in your life and all I do is take. The worst part is, the things I’m taking from you, you will most likely never get back.
G: Wait…what do you mean?
Sacrifice: You know that guy…what’s his name…Compromise? Yeah, that guy. He’s willing to work with you. You know, give you some breathing room and allow you to pick and choose what it is you’re giving up. Me? There’s no wiggle room here. You give. I take. That’s all there is to it.
G: Well…I understand I’m going to become acquainted with you but its all part of the journey. Right?
Greatness: Yes and no. On your way to reaching me, you have to understand there will be certain things you have to give up in my name.
G: Like what?
Sacrifice: For starters, you can’t have it both ways. To reach Greatness requires a singular focus. Just know you’ll be paying me mucho dinero, with “time” being your main currency. I don’t take cash or credit. You pay in time and you pay in blood, sweat, and tears.
G: You’re talking in circles man….
Sacrifice: You know how you wanted to pay tuition AND you wanted to go on vacation with your friends? Yeah. Scratch that vacation. Remember how you tried to juggle school, work, and a relationship? Yeah…that’s not going to work either. Oh yeah, your friends are probably going to treat you differently the closer you get to Greatness, so you might have to drop them too.
G: Huh? Why the hell would I have to do that? That’s sounds like too much.
Sacrifice: Too much? Kid, that’s what you’re paying just to sign up for the trip. I haven’t even decided what I’m going to take once you start on this path and you decide you’re too stubborn or too stupid to turn around and go home.
Loved it!!
"Compromise: Don’t let these guys scare you. Everything you do with life can be balanced. Sure it might require you to be a little more stressed than usual, but there are plenty of situations where I’ll be there."
.. a little more stressed means you are giving up peace to Sacrifice as well.
I have passed up greatness because on one hand I am lazy, but on the other I don't care. I want to be able to take a day off and just chill by the lake and read. I want to be able to have days where my head isn't splitting, or to be able to sleep 8 hours.
I've sacrificed greatness for my own health and sanity.
But I consider the 'little' that I do..is pretty great in itself. Sometimes 'greatness' means different things.
Awesome post though! 🙂
My recent post Are you ready for the November 2012 Election?
Interesting. I don’t think I’ve ever taken the time to consider or dwell on what a journey to greatness is really like from the perspective of sacrifice and compromise. I realizied I was doing it but I never truly comprehended it because I was so in tune with the urge to keep pushing forward. Willpower and mental strength were a lot of the times what I felt most and was therefore what kept me motivated. I feel a pull. Anytime I wanted to stop or quit or give up I would feel a pull telling me to respect myself and keep going and this isn’t the top yet and this isn’t where I tap out. This isn’t where it ends for me there’s still so much farther to go. and at any cost, any means necessary — morality intact — I would have to satiate that pull inside me. Chasing perfection too. It was not enough to just be great I had to be so flawlessly. I’ve lost so much because of it. I’ve missed out on so much. I’ve not had experiences that makes a human being a human and I sacrificed so many things to feel what it’s like to know what I’m capable of. I just wanted to know how high, how far I could ascend and even though I’m alone in the end, sometimes I flicker between panic and I get really distraught. and because I really was not paying attention to what I was doing to myself I nosedived. I have my moments of emotional breakdown when I get REALLY upset but for the most part, I have a sense of calm and acceptance. It truly was worth it. I feel accomplished. I know me. I trust me. People tell me ALL the time it isn’t healthy how I isolate myself but then I’m like….but YOU aren’t going to help me and who can? You have to rise with me. and no one ever does.
Most of the posts I read from you had me scratching my head and looking around to see how Anyone could Understand and deal with you, but reading your latest comment I can Relate to your mindset- a Little…..
I'm in the same boat as far as Lost, Sacrificed, and Went Without in pursuit of what Greatness is for Myself, but I Can SayI have a Few ppl that have Assisted and Help me on my journey
Finally, a comment that makes sense, Thank you!!! And its a fine line, I guess you have your priorities on whats more important to you.
Yo, this was definitely a great read. Sacrifice and Compromise have definitely played a major role in my life and still do. When you really understand those two, you are unstoppable. This should be posted for every man and woman who are in pursuit of their dreams must definitely read.
To get slightly deep, people change their definition of Greatness during the journey because their idea of Greatness changes with each like phase. The journey sometimes has an effect on the desired destination. I'm grappling with this right now, and realized my idea of Greatness has certainly changed, and yet, doesn't feel like "a lesser version". It just feels more apropos to the life I've continued to live. I never was one to believe any one thing required 100% of your attention, because if one thing should, it should be the fullness and joy in your life, in my opinion.
I know I'm a day or two late, but I really enjoyed this.
My recent post Understanding Bayes’ Theorem
I really like the part about loosing your friends once you made up your mind to embark the path of great that is honestly what is goin on with me right now. Will Smith Said, "Look at your friends if they aren't going anywhere most likely you're not going to go anywhere." I really took that to heart because I evaluated my friends saw that they were not going any where it was hard cause some of them were with me in hard times but I had to cut them off and sure enough everything turned around for me. So I know its hard but if you want to achieve greatness and the people you surround yourself with don't see eye to eye they are dead weight.