Patricia Johns: Too Precious To Give Up

I recently came across a quote that made stop and think. This was it:



Anything is possible, if we are willing to sacrifice everything else for it. 

I can't be the only one who daydreams about wonderful things coming my way. I mean, how else do people go to sleep?

What do you dream about? For me (at the moment) I'm dreaming of a best seller. I want one so badly I can taste it. I'm also dreaming of the house we're saving up for. We bought an apartment which we are very comfy in, but we'd like to upgrade. Sometimes I dream about the library I want to grow inside that new house--all I need is an extra bedroom! Seriously! A bedroom, some beautiful wooden shelves, and a gorgeous throw rug would start me off nicely.

But none of those things are a reality yet.

If it's true that my wildest dreams could become a reality if I was only willing to sacrifice anything else to achieve them, then my choices have held me up. Because there are some things I'm not willing to sacrifice:

My marriage, my writing time, my ability to be at home for my son while he's growing up... I'm not willing to sacrifice my writing career, either. Even if it meant I could make enough to buy that house right away at a different job. I'm not willing to travel without my family--not right now, at least. The things I'm willing to sacrifice, I have already set aside. The rest? Not really negotiable.

I've chosen this life--THIS life, including all the things I don't have, it would seem.

What about you? What stuff are you NOT willing to sacrifice to achieve your wildest dreams? 

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Comments

  1. Hello Patricia! This is an intriguing post. At a Michael Hauge workshop once, I remember him saying something to the effect of give your hero a dream that he wants so badly, but then give him a fear or an obstacle that's so great it stops him from pursing the dream. "I will do anything in the world to get XXXX, just don't ask me to XXXXX." While in real life, that's not as cut and dry, we all have priorities. I applaud you for being willing to put off the dream library so you can spend more time with your son and on your writing. You can always buy that house later, but you'll never get back that time with your son. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go ponder your question. Not so much what I'm not willing to sacrifice, that's a given, family time, but what are my wildest dreams right now? I'm honestly not sure.

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    1. You're right--it's never so clear cut, is it? Family time is a top one for me, too!

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  2. I'm not sure it would be a good thing to want something so bad that you'd sacrifice everything to get it. Because a person's life comes in stages and you want and have different things at different stages. It's great to dream big--that keeps us going. But not sure it makes sense to give up all you already have to make one more step. IMHO

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    1. I agree, Roz. A life is made of more than one dream, or one hope. We need more!

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  3. So true, Roz. I wouldn't have been willing to give up time away from my kids when they were young but with one graduating this year, it's no longer such a sacrifice for anyone if I clear out for a few days to attend a writing conference. And thanks for the Hauge dilemma reminder, LeAnne. I took in his workshop, too. If I had to come up with one thing I'm not willing to sacrifice, I'd say health--physical, psychological, emotional. Best!

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    1. I'm looking forward to those years when a few days to myself doesn't toss off any balances anymore. It'll be a whole new stage for me!

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  4. Great topic. Yes, it's important to focus on a goal, but giving up what you have for what you want -- well, it's important to weigh those options carefully. The grass isn't always greener, it just looks that way from a distance. Once you're there, you can see the the brown spots in the lawn.

    I'm in a good place right now. I have goals, but if I were never to achieve any of them, I would still be happy. I'm grateful.

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    1. That is a very good place to be, Beth! And you're right about the grass only appearing to be greener. There are complications with everything, even the "wild success."

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    2. This is a great topic. I am at a time when happy and healthy pretty much cover all the bases. Like Roz says, there are stages all the way through. Enjoy each one for what it has to offer. I miss bleachers, homework, and teenage angst days, but I wouldn't want to go back.

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    3. The teenage angst is still coming up for me. I've got the preteen angst. ;)

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  5. A very intriguing question you’ve posed, Patricia. I have to say that at my age, my dreams have changed so much. Keeping my health and getting to see my future grandchildren grow up a bit rank high. Writing that big book is still there but that dream is definitely tempered with the realities of the market as well as my own capabilities. What would I give up to achieve the wild dreams of my youth...nothing that I now have. So dreams they’ll remain....thanks for getting the grey matter working today!

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    1. It sounds like you have a beautiful life and made the right choices!

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  6. Although I like the story of Peter Pan, I'm no fan of J.M. Barrie, and don't care for this self-defeating quote. This is what I believe: Every problem has in it the seeds of its own solution.--Norman Vincent Peale. At any given moment, people in similar situations (or in worse straits) have attained what you are dreaming of. So go for it. I'm not saying it's going to be easy. But rather than buying in to the idea that you can't succeed unless you sacrifice what is most dear to your heart, dwell on the talents you have been given to make your dreams come true. There are many examples for you to emulate.

    Stepping down off my soapbox now. LOL Thanks for a thought-provoking post.

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    1. I'm certainly not going to stop trying! :) And I like your perspective. You're right--there's no saying I won't achieve all of my dreams as I keep working toward them.

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