Editor’s Note: Last week, we published part one of a multipart series. This is the second in the series: Cost: Paying the Price
Everything rises and falls on Leadership
By Mark LeGrand, Certified Business Trainer, Speaker and Coach/Director
Cost: Paying the Price
Cost of the dream is another component of testing your dream. Now I’m not talking just dollars and cents. Dreams are personal and many people avoid the question, avoid the cost, and inadvertently avoid their dream. What about you? What have you learned about sacrifice in other areas of your life?
How do you answer the Cost Question: Am I willing to pay the price for my dream?
I want you to consider these points:
1. The dream is free, but the journey isn’t. At some point, you have to make a transition from believer of the dream to buyer of the dream. No dream comes true without somebody paying for it.
2. The price must be paid sooner than you think. Dream believers are in abundance. Dream buyers are rare.
3. The price will be higher than you expect. Never once in my conversations with successful people have I heard the words, “Getting to the top was much easier than I anticipated.”
4. The price must be paid more than once. The statement used to describe this process is: “You’ve got to give up to go up.”
5. It is possible to pay too much for your dream. If you ruin your health or sacrifice your family, even though you achieve your dream, you won’t be able to enjoy it.
Types of Cost
• Time with family and friends
• Dealing with criticism from people who matter. Everyone who pursues a dream is criticized. You have to learn to ignore it – professional athletes do!
• Pay the price of overcoming your fears. All dreams are outside our comfort zone, and leaving that zone is a price we must pay to achieve them.
• Pay the price of hard work. When it comes to success, there are no escalators to ride. You must work hard, and smart, to achieve your goals.
If the cost requires you to sacrifice what is most important to you – your values, your family, your integrity… it’s not worth it! Dream a new dream that will not cause you to compromise.
What is your dream worth? That’s what you need to figure out if you are unsure about your answer to the Cost Question. You need to count the cost. Seek out someone with experience in your area of interest. Ask someone to give you some information and advice about what it takes to achieve success in that field. Then you need to ask yourself: “How much am I willing to pay for my dream?” and “What am I NOT willing to pay?”
Remember, some prices are too high!
Don’t forget: the bigger the dream, the higher the cost. If you are unwilling to pay what it is likely to cost, you need to change your dream or change what you are willing to pay.
It’s one thing to have a dream. It’s another to do the things needed to achieve it. Don’t leave your dream to chance. How long it takes depends on you. The amount of time will be affected by how self-aware you are, how honest you are about your strengths and weaknesses, your history, and how much time and energy you’ve already given to the subject in the past. But isn’t your dream worth it? I hope you say and feel- “My dream is worth it.”
Next
In the next article, I will address more of the steps you must consider to reach your dreams. seeing a difference by applying what I have shared with you here today. In the meantime, if you have a question, suggestion, or comment about overcoming Obstacles That Prevent Them from Realizing your own goals and dreams, feel free to reach out to me at 630-549-5413, or [email protected]
About the author
Mark LeGrand is a Certified Business Trainer, Speaker and Coach/Director. He writes on end-to-end engagement of strategies to help clients tackle mission-critical problems, goal setting, and increasing revenue. He helps clients develop, design, and implement comprehensive sales strategies, identify opportunities, and maneuver through dynamic business environments to achieve measurable and successful outcomes.
LeGrand is part of the John Maxwell Team. Dr. John C. Maxwell is the internationally respected leadership expert whose philosophy is simple: Everything rises and falls on leadership.
