What Did You Sacrifice To Become Successful?

I was asked the question, “What Did You Sacrifice To Become Successful?” while completing an online writer’s profile. Here’s how I answered:

“I suppose I could write about the Herculean effort required to close my biggest sales and marketing deal, what it took to qualify for the Boston Marathon, why I gave up alcohol, or what it takes to be a good parent.

But I think the most significant thing I sacrificed was the bad definition of what “success” meant to me.

Success is one of those slippery words with both universal and personal qualities. We all need to work, have a body, and have loved ones to care for. But your life also has its own unique challenges that only you can overcome.

We were born to die alone.

We spend vast amounts of our waking lives grinding towards a worthwhile goal, finally breakthrough, cross that finish line, and revel in that wonderful feeling of success.

But I’ve found that success can be a fleeting feeling that vanishes overnight. Might not seem like a fair ratio, but that’s the way it is.

The sun rises in the East every morning with the same question, “what’s next?”

A lack of vision and goals easily becomes a vacuum that sucks up our time.