When you’ve made the decision to dedicate yourself to striving to fulfil your vision of what you want to do in life, then you’ve made a choice to follow that path and deal with the challenges it presents. This will change your life from how it was before or how it would have been if you weren’t following your passion. There are likely to be certain luxuries or other things that you may have to give up in pursuit of your vision.
This may lead you to feel sorry for yourself and dwell on the sacrifices you are making in trying to realise your dream. However, it’s important that you quickly put this line of thinking into perspective, and realise that you feel more fulfilled than you would have done in your old life, and that you will ultimately reap the rewards of whatever hardships you may be facing by being far more successful. Essentially, what you have done is made a choice to take control of your destiny, and this should be seen as positive step and not a sacrifice.
Thinking that you’re making sacrifices to pursue your goals can place a negative rather than positive slant on your mission, and can have a demoralising effect on your mind. This can translate directly into your actions, which will suffer as a result, as you’re likely to feel under pressure. Constantly reminding yourself what you have given up in your quest for your vision can prove emotionally exhausting, using energy that should be focused on what you’re striving for.
Ultimately, this is self-indulgent, so don’t let self-pity take control of your thoughts. Success will provide you with the freedom to live your life the way you want – so focus on the prize and not the denial.
Don’t wallow in self-pity
Eliminate any thoughts that you are making a sacrifice by:
★ Reminding yourself why you embarked on the journey in the first place
★ Telling yourself that it will all be worth it in the end
★ Being clear that you made the right decision in the first place
★ Communicating with your support network–key friends, family and colleague – who will help give you the reassurance that it’s all worth it
★ Focusing on all the positive things you’ve achieved and/ or plan to achieve, to put your journey into perspective against your old life
★ Thinking about how much more control you have over your life and how much more fulfilled you feel since you embarked on your mission
For many of us the ability to make choices is an extremely liberating emotion – you must adapt to this positive positioning of your mind. Short-term pain will lead to long term gain.