Work Stress

To be successful, you must decide exactly what you want to accomplish, then resolve to pay the price to get it. ~ Bunker Hunt

I keep this quote on a post-it note stuck to my computer monitor, and I read it every day.

For me, it sums up everything in my life. Career. Fitness. Family.

Everything worth obtaining requires sacrifice. But first it requires decision.

I decide to be healthy and fit. I acknowledge the sacrifices I must make to achieve that goal. Then I resolve to pay the price--to make the sacrifices--to achieve it.

It's a quote that inspires and motivates. It reminds us that diligence, persistence and dedication are the keys to achieving our dreams. And it is a painful reminder that we must always pay a price.

I'd never heard of Bunker Hunt, so today I Googled his name. Apparently, he was an American oil executive who bankrupted his company when he tried to (illegally) corner the market on silver in the 1980s. He was convicted of the crime.

So I guess he paid his price, too.

And I have to ask myself: Are some of the things I'm willing to sacrifice for success--time with family, meals with loved ones, parties with friends--are those sacrifices really any better than Bunker Hunt's? Or does it always come down to selfishness in the end?