SACRIFICE

"Great achievement is usually born of great sacrifice, and is never the result of selfishness." — Napoleon Hill

My mentor once told me that there’s no success without sacrifice. He went on to say that if we are experiencing success in any area yet haven’t made any sacrifices then it mean that someone else paid the price for us. You’d be surprised how many people are born on third base and they think that they hit a triple!  The flip side to this notion is also revealing:  If we make sacrifices that never yield fruit in our lifetime then it means someone else will reap the benefits because of what we have done while we were here.

Whether for ourselves or for others (or for both) there is much value to be found in sacrificing our time, sharing our unique talents, and giving whatever resources we can spare.  Such sacrifices are perhaps the most fulfilling and rewarding experiences that life has for us, because when we make a genuine sacrifice it sends the clear message that we are committed to whatever the cause may be.

Those who know me well know that sometimes that sacrifice involves giving up grief, anger, and hopelessness—a longing for what could have been and for what should have been. Yet the Magic Word Sacrifice reminds us that whoever tries to keep their life by attempting to keep things the way that they were will lose it, and whoever loses their life by trusting in the sweet surrender—they will preserve it.
 
REFLECTION
What have you been hoping for but have yet to receive? Look to what you have been clinging to, refusing to let go of. Are you willing to make that sacrifice?