The Prices Of Privileges: Your Willingness To Pay
In life, more often than not, privileges come carrying the guise of responsibility. The truth is that there are always sacrifices and responsibilities behind every success that you see. If you want to achieve something worthwhile, then you have to be willing and ready to pay the required price. These prices can include efforts, disciplines, and a lot of things that others might not even see. Trust me, people would only see the result when you have gotten it, but not the prices that you had to pay. You have to know that there is nothing of value that is given or achieved without an obvious price.
It is true that a lot of people admire privileges; of course everyone would want a taste of them, like wealth, successes, talent, influence, etc, but not everyone ask what it will cost to get these privileges. It is weird, but true, that the world is only drawn to visible results, but not to the processes involved. What they fail to know is that the processes are like the "terms and conditions" that are involved in getting the result. If you contravene the terms and conditions, then you may miss out of the prize. One of the reasons why a lot of people have not fulfilled their dream is not because they do not have dream, but because they have not paid the price associated with it.
Whatever you want to achieve, there will always be a cost that will be attached to it. For example, if you want financial freedom, then you have to understand that it comes with years of work, investments, savings, budgeting, financial discipline and the likes. Sometimes, you may even say "no" to what looks easy, and then say a big "yes" to what is wise. Some people may think that financial freedom answers to luck, but in the real sense, it is built on calculated choices, on extensive works, and on financial discipline. In the same way in other aspects of life, you do not just have to depend on chance or on luck, but you need to work it out yourself. Even if luck happens, it will be better it happens while you are already putting in work, so that it will make more sense.
I once read about a particular tree, which when planted, would take a very long time to grow. It can even take up to 3 years or more just to grow up to 1 foot. Within these years, you have to be tendering it and observing the necessary practices. However, by the time it picks up to grow, it will grow so many feet within just 1 year. If anyone sees it with the fast growth in one year, they will not know how long it took for you to tender for it, the work and efforts you put in, the price you paid, and patience you put in to wait for it. In the same way in life, behind the amazing successes you see might be years of labour, efforts, and sacrifices. Before you envy someone for their success, try to find out what they did that brought them the success. If you can make the same sacrifices and pay the same price, then you can enjoy enjoy the same level of success.
It is worthy to note that life will only give you opportunities, but not an absolute assurance. The opportunities and privileges of success, power, influence, etc, are available to all, but they are only receivable by those who are willing to pay the required price. Each day you live, you will be face with opportunities to make choices - like the choice of waking up earlier than most others, choice of remaining consistent even when others may not support you, choice of giving up your comfort zone in order to pursue after your dreams. All these are prices to pay, which will draw you closer to your dreams.
Always remember that the price to pay for destiny is not cheap, but at the end, success will justify the price. Comfort may be cheap, but it might be at the cost of your dream. In order to pursue after your dream, then you have to learn to move out of your comfort zone. Anything of value that you want to do will definitely and certainly have "terms and conditions" attached to it. You can only get the prize when the price has been fully paid.
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