Will You Pay the Price?

We all have wishes. Every day we probably wish for something. I wish this light would turn green. I wish there was no traffic. I wish, I wish, I wish. Having dreams is easy. I don’t know a single person who doesn’t have a dream. Most of us have big dreams. Sometimes they become a little mixed up with our wishes, but that’s not what I’m talking about today. Most people have goals, but a lot of times, they’re not the right goals and they’re not very clear. Few people have a plan. Few people know the cost.

When you look at the dreams you have, the goals you’ve set, and who you want to become is the picture clear? Do you see everything? Down to the most intricate detail. What about the cost? Have you weighed the cost of your dream?

Just like wishes, most people want success. We see it everywhere, and honestly, who wouldn’t want it. But every dream, goal, plan has a cost. Do you know the cost? What will be required of you to get your success. The price could be small or it could be everything. 

Is it a time cost? Or a money cost? Perhaps its a knowledge cost? Or maybe it’s a sacrifice? Are you willing to pay the cost? 

These are the questions that often get ignored when we start setting goals and making plans to achieve success. We want the success, we want it so bad. But then we start down the path and realize we don’t have the ability to pay the toll. Or we’r not willing to pay the toll. 

This is something I’ve dealt with first hand. I own a gym and when I first started it I paid all the prices. I didn’t care what the price was; time, money, knowledge, experience, I paid them all. But 10 years later there is still a cost to the success of the gym, but my life has changed.

Now, some of the costs I’m not as willing to pay. I don’t want to pay the time cost. I want to be home with my family. So, what does that mean for my success? I have to adjust how I go about it. I still want success, and I’m still willing to put in time, but I also need time with my family. This is the struggle we must battle all the time when it comes to our goals.

Setting goals and having dreams are great. We need those in our life, but we can’t just set the goal and think that’s it. We have to pay attention to what’s the price of admission and then evaluate am I really willing to pay that price. If the answer is yes, then pay the gatekeeper and get in there. But if the answer is no and you still try to get in, you’re going to find yourself on your butt outside the gate before you know it.

Next time you set a goal take a little extra time not only to plan for the goal, but to determine the cost of that goal. Will you pay the price?