Sacrifice shouldn’t be giving up something or being forced to make a trade-off. It should be thought of as an opportunity cost. Sacrifice may be temporary pain or displacement but you will eventually receive something more beneficial in return. Well that is the underlying goal, right?

A common belief is that sacrifice is a negative situation in which you are forced to give something up. But in most cases, it should actually be thought of as an investment for a greater future with temporary pain. Sacrifice can cause temporary pain or suffering but it won’t be long term as it eventually subsides. For example, students make a sacrifice to pay high tuition rates for College and University in an attempt to have a better career and future. The initial sacrifice of investing in your education is a daunting task as you will be forced to work unfulfilling part-time jobs or suffer sleepless nights. But the goal that a student wishes to accomplish such as graduating and having a better future seems to be worth the short term sacrifice. In addition, it seems even in a situation such as education,  sacrifice always occurs on the basis of hope. A sense of hope that induced an investment in education could be because society deems investment in one’s education as the path to a fulfilling career. But it is important to understand that not all sacrifices have a clear purpose. It seems that sacrificial events such as a mother working long hours at a job to provide for her family or a student spending money on books rather than tech gadgets, all have an underlying theme of hope even if the purpose isn’t clear. Hope encapsulates sacrifice as it gives individuals the belief that the future is bright and a dark period in one’s life can dissipate and in-turn improve. This theory of hope inducing sacrifice can be seen even in strategic board games like chess. A chess player will often sacrifice a pawn with the hope of luring the opponent into a trap in order to achieve a checkmate. As with life, sacrifice is built on an individual’s hope for achieving a goal and creating a better future.

Furthermore, although you may be sacrificing for the hope of a better future just make sure the return is worth the investment. Also, ensure you have a clear understanding of the purpose for this sacrifice and that the suffering is only temporary. By making a short term sacrifice to invest in a cause that will help you achieve your goals in the future or improve someone else’s life can easily be justified as worthwhile. As with a storm, the suffering created by sacrifice is only temporary and it will be proceeded by a more positive future, as the most brutal storms are often followed by a shining sun and a rainbow.

 

If you want to live a happier life than check out my blog post “The 3 Keys To Happiness” or if you want to stop complaining and live a more enjoyable life, check out my blog post “Stop Complaining, Things Could Be Worse”.