No sacrifices 

No sacrifices are made. Suffering is not necessary for you. It does not have to be a series of unpleasant events. You are not worthy of punishment. You do not have to live in constant terror. In actuality, the reverse is true. However, what if you were in pain? What if every day of life is painful? At that point, you should consider how you spend your days. It is possible to feel as though there is a shortage in your life and that you are losing things. Things are going to go horribly wrong with this kind of attitude. Giving is going to be hard since it will feel more like a sacrifice than a gift. Giving seems to come from sustainable sources. Giving feels good. Making a sacrifice is unpleasant. It is just so icky that the mere mention of the term makes me want to sever a piece of myself.

The Things We “Sacrifice” 

Thankfully, we have made significant progress since then. However, how far have we progressed? In the twenty-first century, what does "sacrifice" mean? With the exception of this peculiar Florida man, we hopefully view sacrifice as something quite different these days. Most of us do not sacrifice cows or people on temple altars. "Offering" is typically used in place of "sacrifice" in religious ceremonies. Offerings, which are often donations made to the church during worship, are well known to everyone who grew up in a church. Since money is not always a sacrifice—it can occasionally be a gift—the word "offering" functions well in this context. It is more likely that something involving time or energy is referred to as a "sacrifice." It can be both at times.

Energy is a limited (but renewable) resource. 

When I think about energy, my preschooler comes to mind first. That child never stops. In contrast, I feel exhausted and sluggish. To be honest, I was never as active as my son. I was more composed even as a child. I have experienced periods of feeling exhausted. As a child, I occasionally thought that I had expended all of my energy, leaving my body feeling worn out and exhausted. Thankfully, that is not actually what occurred. Because I am taking care of my son and managing a business, I use up my energy more quickly these days. I do not always get a full night's sleep. I do not always eat the proper foods for my body. Because of this, I am not as productive as my son is. That is simply a fact.

And that is all right. I make those decisions in order to pursue my goals and have a positive influence on the world in both my personal and professional lives. My energy level will increase if I have the opportunity to sleep. I know I will be more energetic if I have a substantial vegetarian lunch. I do have a limited amount of energy, but at least it is renewable. The universe is constantly converting energy into matter, according to a recent discussion my husband and I had. Everything comes to an end when all of the energy has been transformed into matter. In any case, that is the theory. There are only gifts, not sacrifices, when it comes to my time. The notion that energy is a sacrifice appears odd because, according to physics, it never vanishes. It changes. However, is not that also what other sacrifices are? Simply a change from one item to another? Is that a sacrifice, then?

Time marches on 

Time changes, just like energy does. Things alter as time goes on. But time is a resource that cannot be replenished, unlike energy. It cannot be regained. In contrast to other things, it cannot be renewed. Sleeping would give me more vitality. My vitality would be restored by eating delicious food, but I will never be able to regain my time. My time is limited; therefore, how I spend it is crucial. What matters to me is demonstrated by the way I spend my time. Additionally, wasting time demonstrates how little I respect my resources and myself.

What do I do with my time, then? I make an effort to utilize every available minute of my day. It indicates that I make the most of that resource by using every last moment I have available. If you were to follow me around during the day, you would notice that I have blocks of time dedicated to different tasks, such as marketing, dancing, or creating vegetarian meals. In the meantime, I am always thinking about something—making plans for what to do next. For me, there is no such thing as blank space. This holds true even when I am relaxing with a cup of tea or tinkering with my nails. There are only gifts, not sacrifices, when it comes to my time.

Limiting Beliefs of Sacrifice 

How often have you heard someone claim that they had to "give up" their dreams? How many times has someone stated that they had to give their life in order to carry out a responsibility or duty? That is nonsense. There is always an option. Always. You are constantly in charge of yourself, which means you are in charge of your ideas and behavior. This indicates that they traded their dreams for new ones rather than giving them up. That individual exchanged their previous life for something more satisfying rather than giving it up. They made the decision that taking care of others was more essential than living a luxurious lifestyle.

Everything changes when we make a minor adjustment to the way we discuss these circumstances. Talking about these issues from a position of action and strength rather than apathy and helplessness feels so much better. When someone says they have to "give up" their dreams, how often have you heard that? How many times has someone said that fulfilling a duty or obligation required them to sacrifice their life?

That is absurd.

There is always a choice. Always. Since you are always in control of yourself, you are also in control of your thoughts and actions. This suggests that instead of abandoning their dreams, they exchanged them for new ones. Instead of giving up their old life, the person traded it in for something more fulfilling. They decided that caring for others was more important than leading an opulent life. When we make a small shift in how we talk about these situations, everything changes. It feels so much better to discuss these topics from a place of strength and action rather than helplessness and indifference.

You’re not giving up anything

You are not losing anything when you decide to view things as blessings. You are getting more of what you desire. Nothing is required of you; you can choose to take actions that will lead to the outcomes you desire. Make a clear decision about what you want today and this week. Think carefully about how you use your time and energy and live consciously. Think about your goals and whether your resource allocation aligns with your values. The time it takes to figure it out is well worth the investment, which will pay you for the rest of your life.