The Price Tag

“The dictionary is the only place where success comes before work.  Hard work is the price we must pay for success.  You can accomplish anything if you're willing to pay the price."

- Vince Lombardi

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30-Second Timeout Talk:

In the retail industry, prior to making a purchase, one examines the price tag affixed to the item.  Nowadays, if a price tag is missing one can easily scan the barcode to find the cost of the item.  When purchasing an item, one must first determine two things: how bad do they want the item and is the item worth the price.  You’ve done this before: because of a want or perceived want, you pick up an item for sale, examine the price tag and then walk away without the item in hand.  It’s simple logic; the price tag trumped the want!

Goal setting is similar to shopping!   First, you determine the degree of the want.  Once the want has been determined you must examine its price tag.  Is it worth it?
  

Anything worth pursuing comes with a price tag.  Often times, the price tag is high.  Generally, the more you want something the higher the cost.  It was Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra that said, “That which costs little is less valued.” Pursuing a goal will come at a cost to you (i.e., time, money, and effort). It also requires a trade-off.  The pursuit means you’ll likely have to give-up something, something that may be important to you.  Understand, although there is a price to pay,  there is no greater satisfaction than when the want trumps the price tag and the goal gets accomplished.
   

I write this not to discourage you from setting goals.  In fact, I encourage you to set goals, lofty ones at that. Michelangelo said, “The greater danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it." 

I couldn’t agree more with Mark Twain’s quote, “Throw off the bowlines.  Sail away from the safe harbor.  Catch the trade winds in your sails.  Explore.  Dream.  Discover."  Goal setting should be like a voyage - Just make sure you check the price tag first!

It’s your life: live it, love it & celebrate it!
MJD