Over the last year or so I've been reading and listening to the insights of Gary Vaynerchuk and Jordan Peterson. (If you are not aware of who they are then I suggest you check them out!) One of the overarching concepts that I have been caught on is the idea of sacrifice. Of course sacrifice encompasses many facets of life and we must consider what we are willing to give up, or put on hold, in order to make progress.
I think back to the days of undergrad when my efforts could have been prioritized a bit better. Maybe I should have sacrificed some of the care free attitude so that some of the difficulties of today could have been lessened. Or maybe I should have taken time to save more money for college so the burdens of student loan debt would be minimized.
Another way that sacrifice comes into play is when you understand the bigger picture and the roles you have in life. As a husband and father I must make decisions that I hope yields the best results. For me, that means that there are sacrifices I make in my career. Not because anyone is forcing me to, but because I consider what effect some aspects of this career may have on my family. I could pursue the idea of touring, but I choose not to because I don't want to leave my family. On the other hand, if I did entertain the idea, then maybe the outcome would lead to better opportunities that would benefit my family.
The question is very simple, What are you willing to sacrifice? I'm not willing to sacrifice time with my family to that degree. There are those who do, and that is a choice that comes from the family dynamic.
In my teenage years and 20's I obsessed over the guitar and could care less about trying to fit in or be part of any group. The outsider may say, "You sacrificed a lot of time and potential opportunities." Maybe that's true, but it was a sacrifice that I was willing to make!
