No Gimmes

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There are no "gimmes" in real life. There are no concessions for those who seek success. Just as the successful golfer doesn't pick up his ball before putting out, so too a person striving for success doesn't seek any concessions regardless of the challenge. No matter if one is pursuing physical, mental, spiritual or financial goals, the road to success is void of gratuitous gimmes.

Someone who is serious about losing weight or becoming better conditioned, will not find success in a pill or a bottle or an exercise that doesn't stress the body. The overweight and out-of-conditioned person must face the fact that pain is the result of sacrifice and sacrifice leads to success. It isn't easy to change one's diet from the typical American fare to a diet, lower in calories and fat. Cheeseburgers taste better than soy burgers, malts better than no-fat milk. But, the woman whose goal is to shed ten, twenty or thirty pounds, needs to realize that sacrifice will be necessary.

Few athletes expect to reach the pinnacle of success by sitting in front of a television most of the day. To become the best they can be, the runner must train, the golfer must practice and the football lineman must increase his strength. In all cases, they must sacrifice. What goal would be worth reaching if just anyone could attain it? Even the social runner trains, if not for speed or endurance, at least for health. As one who has trained for and completed three marathons, I know from experience the sacrifice required to complete a marathon in the less-than-world class time of four hours. Yet, I also know that the typical couch potato can not do what I and many others have done, unless of course, they arise from the couch and run.

Running is not without discomfort. Discomfort can be caused by weather - too hot, too cold - or it can be caused by pain and soreness, especially in the lower legs. People run through their discomfort just as a golfer accepts the discomfort of hitting thousands of golf balls on the practice range. No pain, no gain. How true it is. Had I not been able to run through the pain of fifteen and twenty mile training runs, I would never had been able to complete a twenty-six mile race. My success would not have been worth it had I not experienced the pain of training.

People who succeed in business or in other financial matters usually do so after giving of themselves to their jobs or careers. The higher one rises in a company is normally a reflection of the sacrifice he endures.

Sacrifice is required in nearly every endeavor worth the effort. There are few spiritual goals that result from an epiphany. St. Paul experienced an epiphany that caused him to quit persecuting Christians. In blinding light, he was thrown from his horse and was temporarily blinded. But, Paul also endured the trials and sacrifices required of him to become the apostle he became. In the end, he suffered the ultimate sacrifice - dying for his beliefs. Although there are still believers today who die for their faith, most of us won't be called upon to suffer in such a manner. Yet, if we are honest with ourselves, the fruits of our faith, the fruits of our beliefs, are the result of personal sacrifices we endure in our quest to grow in our knowledge of Christ. There are no gimmes. We do not grow much at all through osmosis. Our growth in Christ is proportionate to our efforts to know him through our religions and through scripture. There are no free passes.

If I am to lose weight, I will have to sacrifice. If I am to become better conditioned, I will have to sacrifice. I will have to push away from the table when I become sated. I will have to jog or run or walk even when I'd rather lie on the couch or engage in some other inert activity. I will not lose weight or become better conditioned by continuing to do what I am doing now. I will not receive any "gimmes" in my goal to improve my health.

I must develop a new attitude towards life. As I grow older, my natural inclination is to seek the easier life. If I look back over my life and if I am honest with myself I will acknowledge that the successes I've enjoyed, regardless if physical, spiritual or mental in nature or regardless if they involve my career, they have usually been the result of my personal sacrifices. Anyone who has enjoyed some degree of success in life will admit the same thing: success without sacrifice is worthless. Therefore, I must realize that age, alone, will not mean I will not have to sacrifice. I certainly will. Perhaps the difference is in the goals I seek compared to the goals I sought when I was younger. My goals are not as lofty as they once were but, considering that I do not have the physical skills I once had, my goals are still challenging and worthy.

I do not expect gimmes. If I desire a goal bad enough, I must be willing to sacrifice. I must be willing to sink the putt before I pick up.

© March 2001

William Charles