The Joy of Sacrifice

"Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice and most of all, love of what you are doing or learning to do."

                                                                                            - Pele, Soccer Legend

Recently, I had an old friend, martial arts student and training partner ask me if I could use the platform of this weekly blog to comment on the concept of sacrifice

It seems to me, in our instant gratification society, which often times provides us the means of getting things the moment we desire it, that sacrifice has become a lost art. 

However, in my experience, the times when I really had to sacrifice my time, energy and even money to achieve something, are the occasions when those accomplishments have meant the most to me.

I couldn't help but reflect that the word sacrifice had at its root the word sacred. 

When we think of something as sacred, we draw images of the things most precious and important to us.  What if we viewed our times of sacrifice in the same way?

There are so many wonderful examples of this that we see each and every day.

• The single mother who sacrifices her own comfort and resting time to wake early to go to her first of two jobs, so her children have enough to eat and roof over their heads.
• The teacher who spends money out her own pocket to buy school supplies for her students so that they may have the best learning experience possible.
• The police officer or firefighter who puts themselves in harm’s way to save the life of someone they don’t even know, just because they view it as their duty.
• All the people who have sacrificed in their lives to bring us the gift of where we are today.

It seems to me that when we hold something that we want to experience and/or achieve as being sacred or connected to our heart's desire or need to express, that the sacrifices we make come from a deep sense of joy, rather than from obligation. 

When we hold something sacred, our efforts, dedication and yes, sacrifices, come from a deep place of "want to" versus "have to" despite their degree of difficulty to achieve or what we may choose to give up to experience them.

Have you ever noticed that the stories of success that seem to inspire us the most are those where someone had to sacrifice greatly to achieve their dream?

As a martial arts athlete, the experience of winning a gold medal that came as a result of years of dedication and sacrifice made it much sweeter.  As a martial arts instructor, there is no more greater feeling of pride than to watch a student receive their Black Belt after having overcome hardship, self-doubt and sacrifice. 

And finally, there is no greater feeling than to see the success of one of your own children and know how they have learned the lesson of sacrifice on the road to achieving one of their own dreams.

While we achieve rewards and accolades in the moment of our accomplishments, what most never know or understand, is the deep amount of sacrifice it took to get us there. 

Talent can only take us so far.  I have met many athletes, martial arts students and businesspeople in my career who had immense talents, but never reached their full potential.  It wasn’t because they didn’t have the skills, support or environment to achieve success.  It was because they weren’t willing to commit themselves and make the sacrifices necessary to experience their greatness, once things got tough. 

But for those who embraced the challenge and were willing to make the appropriate sacrifices along the way, the reward of their efforts became so much sweeter.

I think this quote from Anthony Robbins says it perfectly.

“People are awarded in public for the things they’ve be doing for years in private.”

When looking at it this way, it can then be said that there can be real joy that comes from sacrificing for something we truly value as sacred. 

With that being said, today I challenge all of us to look at what we currently may view as sacrifices in our life and change our point of view from one of "giving something up" to one of joyfully "giving something into" our hopes, dreams and aspirations.  

What is one area of your life where you could make a joyful sacrifice in the present moment to ensure you experience the fruits of what you want to achieve.  And when you do, how can you change your perception to joyfully accept that opportunity to sacrifice for something you hold dear and truly sacred for you and those you love?

Here's to joyfully sacrificing.  

Chris Natzke

Black Belt Leadership Speaking & Coaching

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