A Sacrifice Is Needed

Bloody, barbaric, painful sacrifice.

In many ancient cultures around the world, human sacrifice was a normal part of everyday business. Famine? Kill a virgin. Need some rain? Kill a virgin. Eclipse? Kill a virgin. Small crops? That’s right…virgin.

When we sacrificed something we held dear, we often got something we wanted. Not every time, but sometimes and this is why we kept killing virgins.

“The only question to ask yourself is, how much are you willing to sacrifice to achieve this success? — Lary Flint”

Sacrificial Lamb

Eventually, we learned that small animals worked just as well. So we moved from humans to goats, sheep, cows, and other domesticated animals.

Even the bible describes Jesus as the sacrificial lamb. Sent down to earth, to die for our sins and save our souls. Even “God” knows the value of sacrifice.

Humanity has always known that sacrifice plays a role in getting what we want out of life. Thankfully, we now know that there are better options than sacrificing virgins and baby lambs.

First The Pain

We must first, experience pain of some sort before we can grow; before we can be “successful”.

That pain could be a bit of soreness from exercising before we see muscle growth. It could be those long work hours before we see a promotion. Hunger before we lose weight. Etc.

The pain we are willing to experience is called sacrifice. We sacrifice our present comfort. We sacrifice our pleasure now for a more meaningful pleasure later.

Why do you think parents spend so much time and money on their children’s education? It’s so that later in life when those children are fully grown, they can become self-sufficient, healthy members of society — members that contribute back to their families and society. Become people that those parents can be proud of.

Sacrifice is a requirement.

It’s non-negotiable. It’s the cost of doing business. It’s needed now, today, this moment, if you ever want to see your goals become reality.

We must rip the heart out and burn, at the altar of success, our immediate desires. We must offer our immediate wants and desires as a sacrifice to the gods.

Self-sacrifice is real. It’s necessary. It builds our willpower. It strengthens our discipline.

Studies have shown that when we use self-control, our ability to have self-control in all other capacities is also improved. Self-control is delayed gratification and delayed gratification is self-sacrifice.

Call To Action

I challenge you to sacrifice something now for the future rewards you desire. It doesn't have to be something large. It just has to be something you can build off of later.

Maybe it’s that extra coffee in the morning or that last pressing of the snooze button. It could even be sacrificing just 15 minutes of television watching in the evening.

Whatever you choose to sacrifice, make sure to acknowledge it, tally it, gold star it, or tweet about it. Make sure to celebrate it. This small yet immediate reward is often all we need to keep the behavior going.

Begin sacrificing your “today” for a better tomorrow.

Author Mitch Albom wrote…

Sacrifice is a part of life. It’s supposed to be. It’s not something to regret. It’s something to aspire to.

Always remember, first the pain, then the pleasure.

Read the Most Valuable Pain (MVP) here.