Sacrifice vs. Delayed Gratification

Many people believe that sacrifice is a necessary part of life. They believe that if they give up something today in order to have something better tomorrow, that is a sacrifice. But that isn’t a sacrifice. It’s delayed gratification, and that is a very different thing.

To sacrifice means to give up a value for a lesser value or a non-value.

If you skip a party to study for a test the next day, is that a sacrifice? Not if learning the information and getting a good grade is more important than attending a party.

If you miss a dinner with your family in order to complete a project at work, is that a sacrifice? Not if doing your job as well as you can is important to you. Your job is your means for providing for your family.

Many people undergo incredible hardships to accomplish their goals. Some may call their efforts a sacrifice. In truth, they are a demonstration of what it takes to accomplish great goals.

As an example, I have a friend who obtained a masters and PhD while raising a daughter alone. She gave up a lot and had to manage a lot of conflicting demands on her time. She had to accommodate the demands of raising a child and obtaining graduate degrees. During that period, she didn’t have much of a life other than work, parenting, and the volunteer work that she did.

Some may say that her efforts were a sacrifice. But in truth, they were delayed gratification. She had goals–great goals–and such goals require a lot of effort. But enormous effort isn’t a sacrifice. It’s the price that must be paid to accomplish great goals. And my friend has accomplished great goals.