Are You Willing To Pay The Costs?
We often hear of the discipline and sacrifices we must make to accomplish our greatest dreams.
But today I would like you to consider a different cost.
The cost of NOT going after you goals and dreams. The cost of not sticking it out to the end.
This is something that I had to consider myself a while ago.
When God first gave me the vision for being a business and life prosperity coach, author, and speaker, He also gave me the vision of exactly what that looked like. But, for a while, no matter how hard I worked, that vision was still just that – a vision.
Many times, I thought of giving up and going back to practicing law or being a business consultant. In fact, for about a year, I put my dreams on hold and got a regular 9 to 5 to pay the bills.
I would coach “on the side” and host various teleseminars. Well on one particular call about goal setting, I asked the participants to consider what it was costing them not to go after their goals full force. As we went through the exercise, that voice inside of me asked – “What about you? What’s it costing you not to go after your goal?”
I ignored the voice, and continued on with the call. But, as soon as it was over, the voice came back and asked, “What is it costing you?”
I took out a sheet of paper and here’s how I answered that question:
- Financial Costs – $10,000 per month (the initial vision for my business was to earn $10,000 per month after expenses)
- Emotional Costs– confidence, self esteem, happiness
- Spiritual Costs – my intimacy with God, peace, joy
- Physical Costs – loss of sleep, weight gain, high blood pressure
- Costs to My Family (now this is where the tears started to flow) – I’m missing out on showing my daughter what it really means to live a full, happy, joyful life, I’m showing Amber that it’s okay not to live up to yoru fullest potential.
- Costs to the world – women living mediocre “just getting by lives”, women missing out on living their best lives.
When I added up all of those costs, I decided that it just wasn’t worth it.
I renewed my motivation to follow through with the vision God gave me and I haven’t looked back since.
What about you?
Whether you would like to admit it or not, not going after what you truly desire could be costing you a fortune. (And, it goes far beyond a mere financial costs)
Is that a price you are willing to pay?
Ask yourself – “What is it costing me spiritually, mentally, emotionally, physically, and financially not to stick with it until the end? “
Then, go deeper and ask, “what is it costing my family, friends, and those in the world around me for me to stay where I am right now?”
Share Your Comments Below! 🙂
I suppose that it would be striking a balance….we need to pay the bills, but we should never miss out on our purpose, calling and a full life!
Thank you so much for this post. When I asked the question, what is it costing me, I got back an immediate response. It’s draining my energy constantly “thinking” about my dreams and aspiration and staying stuck in a situation I don’t want to be in. Don’t get me wrong, I’m thankful for my 9-5, but I also feel a strong pulling to act on my purpose. Time to stop asking the hard questions and get to work on the answers.
My first career was a public school teacher, which I only did for about 3 years. Even right before I graduated, I felt that it was the wrong career for me. I love teaching, which is what I do now, but it’s a different type of teaching.
When I worked in the public schools, I was told how to teach, what to teach, and when to teach it. All creativity was thrown out the window, and I felt constricted. Staying in that career gave me unneeded stress, and I just wasn’t happy.
When I created my website, and wrote my first E-Book, I suddenly felt alive. I felt free to do whatever I wanted, which is all I ever really wanted.
It’s so important to go after you goals.