Following up on the topic, I wrote about the other day, what price are you willing to pay to “make it?” What is the true meaning of sacrifice to you?
Have you ever imagined your life as the writer you want to be? I’m sure you have, it’s only natural to see yourself doing well and making the dream a reality. But do you ever think of what you’re willing to give up or sacrifice to get there?
Most people don’t. And that’s because it doesn’t fit into our “plan,” of what we see for ourselves. Nobody says, “oh I dreamed about how famous I will be when I write that book I keep promising to write. And… I saw myself struggling to make ends meet while I slaved over my computer day in and day out to write it,”.
The Problem with the “Big Picture”
The problem is the “bigger” picture is the one we need to focus on if we want to move ahead. You could apply this to anything in life. Nobody gets anywhere that’s worth it for free. There is always a price to pay, whether that be time with your friends or family, or not being able to buy what you want on a strict budget.
Sacrifice is part of the package, like it or not. And most people don’t like it, not at all.
That said, however, there are some rare occasions where sometimes you’re given a free pass. And that can present its own set of problems, such as getting too much of a good thing and taking it for granted. And that happened to me. I was offered a writing gig for doing nothing more than owning a blog. Yep, it happens. It’s rare, but it happens.
Too Much of a Good Thing Can Be Disastrous
So what did I learn from that experience? Well, I learned that sometimes, you can become too big for your own boots. You can become selfish. You can become someone that thinks everything will be smooth sailing because you lucked out once.
And while I didn’t exactly squander that time away, I wasn’t looking any further ahead than the next hour in the day. And that was a mistake. I went with the flow and figured it’d last for a long time. I was wrong, and it didn’t, and I was unprepared for the fallout of my misjudgment.
It left me with no job, no prospects of getting another one, and I was down and out for a while.
And Herein Endeth the Lesson
When you think about your time, your future, your next step, it’s smart to plan for every situation, including the bad. If I had known better, I would have planned my way through that experience. I was young and naïve. I was happy until I wasn’t, and it sucked.
Try to capture the “good” of any situation for as long as you can but always be ready for the black clouds and the storm with a great umbrella.
When you have all the time in the world, you never think about it ending. And if you don’t learn the importance of sacrifice, you’ll take yourself, your situation and others for granted.
If or when you land that writing gig you’re chasing, be a smarter person than I was and you’ll (probably) do just fine.
If you have had similar experiences, let me know in the comments. I’m keen to read your stories of success and failure and everything in-between. Hit me up in the comments or drop me a line right here.
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