The-Slight-Edge

Turning Your Dreams into Reality 161
At the same time, I have very little regard for trainings that tell you, “This is
exactly how you have to do it,” because the actual sequence of actions and events
that works will be different for everyone, every time. You can train people in the
concepts, in how to think and what kinds of actions have worked, but you can’t
blueprint the specific sequence, because circumstances are always different.
This is why you need to have a plan to start with—but you cannot start with
the plan that will get you there. You have to start with the philosophy that will
take you; with the right philosophy, you’ll find the plan.
STEP THREE: Know and Pay the Price
Aha, there’s the catch! I knew it! Here comes the big sacrifice ... so, what will
I have to do? Throw away my television? Say goodbye to all fun and forgo all my
favorite foods? Give up a kidney?
Chances are, it’s not quite that dramatic. Like anything else, when it comes to
goals, we tend to see things like they’re on the big screen; but they’re not. Though
your dreams may be big (in fact, I hope they’re huge!), remember that the steps
you’re taking to get there are ... what, huge? No: small. Tiny. Baby steps. Easy to do.
The price you pay works the same way. You don’t have to pay for your
million-dollar dream with a million-dollar personal check. You can pay for it ...
well, with a penny a day. But you do need to understand what that penny is,
and you do need to pay it. Whatever the dream, whatever
the goal, there’s a price you’ll need to pay, and that
means giving up something.
It may be something as simple as giving up a type of junk food you’re
attached to, for the sake of your health; or something as subtle as giving up your
right to be right, or your habit of exerting control over conversation for the sake
of a relationship. It may mean postponing certain purchases or acquisitions,
often called “delayed gratification,” or letting go of some pleasures for the sake of
the pursuit of a longer-term aim.
At a certain point in my life, when I’d suffered some huge setbacks and lost
everything I had, I came to a critical point of decision. I’d been an athlete all my life,
and at this point I’d become part of a softball team. We were serious, and we got pretty
good. Before long, we were traveling and winning tournaments all over the place.
Then, I hit a point where I knew I had to get my career back on track. It was
time to pick up the pieces, regroup and move on. I also knew I couldn’t do this
without changing something: I had to pay a price. It was a difficult choice, but
I walked away from our softball team. My friends couldn’t believe it. “You’re