SACRIFICE

It's hard to find an exact definition of the word sacrifice. It can mean so many different things. From "a loss incurred in selling something below its value" to "surrender or give up or permit injury or disadvantage to". The actual definition can sometimes get lost in translation. None of the definitions that I discovered were the kind of sacrifice I wanted to write about. Then I came across a poster with a picture of a chess board, and on that board was a single white pawn (the most disposable piece in the game of chess) and in front of that pawn was every chess piece in black (from pawns to the most powerful chess pieces) and on the poster the word sacrifice was underneath it with these words:

"Your role may be thankless, but if you re willing to give it your all, you might just bring success to those who outlast you."

Now that stuck with me more than any definition that I could look up in a dictionary. In the poster the pawn knows that for the greater good he has to be sacrificed, and may set up an opening not for him to win but the other pieces on his side to. That's a powerful image. In my life I have been faced with so many situations where I've had to sacrifice for the greater good of others.

Growing up in a single family home with 4 siblings I was fortunate to be able to see sacrifice on an every day basis. Some people might think, why do you feel fortunate for growing up that way? My response to them would be, because it shaped who I am today. It made me appreciate every little thing that I was given, and also appreciate the people who gave it to me.

I was brought up in a "no whiners allowed" household. How could I complain about not wanting to take the garbage out when my mom just came home from her third job? How could I possibly gripe about not getting the best pair of sneakers if I knew for me to get them one of my brothers might have to go without?
I wouldn't trade my upbringing for anyone elses in the whole world. Because it made me realize that sometimes sacrifices have to be made for the better of the family and that message has stuck with me throughout my life.

Now there are different levels of sacrifice. Me giving up on getting a new pair of Nike's is not the same as the sacrifice that Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi went through but its still a selfless act. These days it seems like everyone feels a sense of entitlement. I deserve to be a CEO of a fortune 500 company or I deserve to land this job just because I showed up. Not a lot of people want to go through the sacrifice it takes to be successful.

In college my big sacrifice was not going to parties and getting drunk every night. Now anyone that knows me knows that I ve never been into drinking and have never done a drug in my life. When I started playing basketball I knew that to accomplish my goal (which was to play professionally) I couldn't waste time doing things that would not only hurt my game but also possibly get me in some trouble. So when my friends would go to parties I'd go to the gym and workout. The next morning I felt great while some of my teammates were still trying to justify why they accidentally wet the bed, again.

Your sacrifice can be something small or something that's on a greater scale. If you re trying to lose some weight your sacrifice might be driving past the golden arches and not right to them! If you re trying to make a sports team it might mean sacrificing some of your social life to put in extra work at the gym. Maybe you re in a relationship and your girlfriend or wife might want to go see a "notebook" type chick flick and you'd rather watch Rocky 6. No matter what the case is you're making a sacrifice.

"Figure out what you want, and then ask yourself if you're willing to put the blood, sweat, and tears in to get it"

If you can look in the mirror and say I'm doing everything in my power to reach my goals then theres no reason to hold your head down if for some reason you don't accomplish them right away. If you're not maybe your not sacrificing enough to make it happen, or maybe you're just waiting for it to happen for you, if its the latter then you have a long road ahead.