Success is a succession of trade offs, you have to give up to go up. The most successful people apply this concept by reviewing their activity often – what they can delegate, what no longer serves a purpose, and the hardest part of this rule is who to give up people to go up. I am not stating to dump your colleagues, family, and friends but to evaluate trading to sustain a higher level of success as you move up. Moving up is all about your potential and what potential means to the quality and quantity of your life.

Think about when you were a toddler riding a tricycle it is easy because there is safety of balance. The next step is a two-wheeler with safety wheels and at some point you decide it is time to trade-up and choose to feel the independence and speed of two wheels. The excitement, fear, and doubt were intoxicating – you knew you would fall but the choice to get what you want over-powers fear and doubt to your success of two wheels.

Your life is all about trade-offs and choice. I love this statement, the hardest part about stealing second base is taking your foot off of first base. I dare you take a stand and give up to go up to be the best you can be every day. No one embraces change or wakes up every morning and states “what can I change today.” I guarantee when you give up – opportunities  you did not see before will appear! Eric Hoffer states, “People will cling to an unsatisfactory way of life rather than change in order to get something better for fear of getting something worse.” 

Steps and Benefits to Choosing Trade-Offs:

• Trade-Offs Are Opportunities
  • What are the pros-cons  | Will you go through this change, or grow through this change
• Next Level To Your Potential
  • What are you willing to give up to go up? What or who will you have to give up?
  • Note: not willing to give up something is a key reason most people do not reach their potential
• Trade-Offs Force You to make Personal Changes
  • When you want something you have never had, you have to do something you have never done before.
  • Change is always possible
    • Change is Personal: to change your life, you need to change
    • Change is Possible: You will be rewarded when you change
• Loss of Trading Is usually Felt Before Opportunity
  • This is the main reason people fear change, it might hurt a bit (Go back to  your two-wheeler)
  • Transition between change and the fruit of the change is a powerful time of renewed self

Each success only buys an admission ticket to a more difficult problem. ~ Henry Kissinger

• Trade-Offs Can Be Made At Any Time
  • Better health, habits, education, etc. . .  – It is rarely “too late” to make a change
• A Few Trade-Offs Come Only Once
  • Go back to pro-cons, timing etc. . .
• The Higher Your Success (Climb), The Tougher The Trade-Offs
  • Many people stop growing because they have reached a height for which they are no longer  willing to work to get higher
  • The skills you have today are not the skills to get you to the next level
  • Consider your potential – what will it feel like to trade-off to get to your next level of success?
• Trade-Offs Never Leave Us The Same
  • Fear of change is you will be different on the other side – yes, you will. Is where you are today where you want to remain tomorrow?
• Trade-Offs Not Worth the Price
  • Trade-offs that will  damage, harm or even ruin an entire life
  • Delayed gratification through the above analysis ensures damage is avoided
  • Value question for all of us. .  . is it worth the price?

The only job security we have is our individual commitment to personal development. ~ Kevin Turner

• Trade-Offs Worth Making
  • Financial security for potential tomorrow
  • Giving up immediate gratification for personal growth
  • Willing to give up the fast life for the good life
    • Delegate to others | Do what you do best and drop the rest
    • Control your calendar or someone else will
    • Do what you love because it will give you energy | Work and play with people you like so your energy is not depleted
  • Give up some security for significance
    • You will not achieve  your potential while remaining in a safe place (get off your tricycle)
    • Significance means taking chances on others too by helping them find their potential
  • Be willing to give up addition for multiplication
    • Lead others who will lead
    • Seek collaboration partners for just about everything | Share, not hoard, resources and knowledge with others
    • Share credit for achievement | Be a conduit for blessings, not a reservoir of assets – the more we give the more we receive

I challenge you to reflect on the above and ask yourself: Am I on a tricycle of safety or am I continually giving up to go up feeling the freedom of a two wheeler! 

Start with one area you have identified to trade-off and once you have done the first one the rest of the area’s will be easier to keep steady and balanced toward the success you desire and deserve!

Want to learn more? Click Below:

• Law of Trade-Offs: GRACEbreak Radio
• 5 Steps to Create The Future You Want
• Build YOUR Solid Foundation| 4 Week On Line Course

Look UP & OUT!

Tracy Worley

John C. Maxwell (2012). 15 Invaluable Laws of Trade-Offs, Chap11.
Tracy A. Worley (2015) GRACEbreak Radio