By Samantha McKenzie

As much as I talk about all the things I want to acquire, I spend very little time discussing the things I’m going to have to give up. The word sacrifice flows off our tongues pretty quickly, but the actions to get there are often carried out at a much slower pace.

What am I willing to lose? To start, I’m willing to lose my free time, my sleep and the social engagements that used to keep me in the loop. I’m also willing to reduce the time spent in front of the television set and the remainder of the time spent scrolling through my social media sites. This stuff is really addicting people!

To bring my dreams into fruition however, I know that I will have to give up some of the things I’ve become used to. I’ll have to redirect my focus, get more disciplined and learn how to turn my attention to the things that matter to me the most.

This means, I’ll have to set my alarm clock earlier to get better use of the morning (while I’m not a morning person, I do know that I’m most productive in the early hours). My weekends will look different as well. I’ll have to be willing to ignore those text messages and carve out my business hours right there at the kitchen table.

What else can we give up? Maybe we should reduce the number of shopping trips or lessen the amount of time we spend talking on the telephone. Maybe we’ll have to severe relationships with negative people, people you already know don’t want you to succeed.

If you read stories about successful people, you’ll see the many changes they have had to make to achieve their goals. They experienced pain, loss and heartache and have lived to tell you about it. There’s no easy road on this journey. What are you willing to sacrifice?

It’s time to clean out our mental closets and make room for the great things ahead. Are you ready? See you at the next level.