Not too long ago I had the pleasure of witnessing a group of young men and women graduate from an intense 12-week entrepreneurship training program. As each strolled across the stage to receive their certificate, I couldn’t help but wonder what that class must have been like for these aspiring entrepreneurs. I wonder about it because each one of them stated in their own way how difficult it was to complete the program. One woman talked about having to care for three children and hold a job while she completed the course. Another one spoke of holding down two jobs and being a single parent. And still another one talked about traveling from one end of the city to the other end after getting off work to attend the sessions. This drive was no less than an hour and a half in one direction.
Each of them shared a common bond – you could hear it in their voices, and you could see it in their eyes as they shared their stories. They were absolutely determined to achieve the goal of graduating from this business training program and receive a certificate to prove their accomplishment. What they wanted most was to claim their prize after 12 weeks of grueling work and personal sacrifice.
At that very moment, a powerful thought came to me. We all journey through life one day at a time wishing, hoping, and praying for a better life and more out of life. Whatever that something better or more may be, it’s what we want that is so important to us. Whether it’s more happiness and love in our lives, more money, more time, more friends, a better house, a better car, a toned body, more wealth, more peace of mind, more time with our children, more time with our spouse, to start a business, better health, more time for ourselves, and the list goes on and on. There is probably a different “better this” or “more that” for everyone on this planet – a prize that we would all like to possess some day.
Then another thought flashed through my mind following the same theme. What does it take for us to claim the prize that we covet? Based on what I witnessed that day and on other occasions, every prize is claimed only after a price has been paid for that prize. The price may be paid all at once or it may be paid over a period. If it is paid over a period, then another element may enter the picture, and that is the plan that will be implemented to get the prize. It can all be summed up like this. It is an exchange of something of personal value for something deeply desired by following a simple process.
First, let’s start with the prize we desire.
The Prize
I can remember as a child growing up, I loved to read fairy tales. As an adult, I still love to read fairy tales, but now I read them to my little ones. Fairy tales tell an entertaining story and at the same time, offer sound advice about maneuvering through life. Take for example the story of “Alice In Wonderland” which centered around growing up as a child and experiencing the world with all its nuances. I won’t go into the entire storyline here, just this episode because it is relevant to what we are discussing here.
As Alice journeyed through ‘Wonderland’ she came to a big fork in the road pointing in different directions. Hmmm, she looked up and saw a Cheshire cat perched in a tree. Alice asked the cat, “Which Road do I take?” The cat responded, “Where do you want to go?” When Alice didn’t know, the cat replied, “It really doesn’t matter WHAT road you take, each one will lead you to a destination. She stands there frozen for a few minutes trying to decide. The lesson of that encounter is what’s important which is: To get to a destination, you must first know what the destination is, where you want to go. Have a clear picture of what you want. Know your Prize and know WHY you want it.
The Prize can be anything your heart desires and what your head can imagine – it can be a dream that you would like to fulfill in life. It can be a simple goal of losing weight, or some other goal that you cherish. Your prize is unique and personal to you. However, it will probably fall into one of five categories: something you want to have, be, see, do, or somewhere you want to go. For example, it might be a satisfying and impactful career in corporate America, to start and operate a thriving business, to win a sports championship, to make a difference in society in some beneficial way, or to be president of the United States of America. It is your prize and your choice to make.
Does thinking about what you want stir passion in your heart; does it bring a big wide smile to your face, do you get that starry-eyed gaze at the thought of it; does it leave you breathless when you see something similar, or does it make you breathe deep and stop you in your tracks? It may stir all these emotions and more, but the key is to know exactly what that is for you. Once you know it’s time to move forward.
The Price
Whatever prize you want, understand that achieving it is a direct result of what you can accomplish today – one step, one task, one day at a time. The actions you take, the emotions you commit, and the work you do, ultimately are the Price you pay to achieve your Prize. Once you decide what the prize is going to be, the price becomes clearer.
The Price is about taking decisive action and committing to yourself that you will do whatever it takes to get what you want. Anything of value gained comes only after a price has been paid. The price can be calculated in different ways, such as with time, money, energy, sacrifice of some sort or all the above, but a price all the same. It requires a mindset of what must I give of myself, even for a short time to get what I really want most.
We all know people who are incredibly gifted at what they do, whether it is in business, the arts, or sports. We see their performance and assume that high achievement comes easily to them. We see their winning results and think that we could never even begin to measure up, that these people are infinitely more talented than we are.
The truth is we see the outcome. We do not see the endless hours of hard work they put into making what they do seem so effortless. We see the ballet, not the years of dance class. We see the winning shot at the buzzer, not all the individual hours on the basketball court. We see the gymnasts in the middle of the Olympic spotlight, not all the years of training and practice. What we see is the result of the work, not the actual work that it takes to get there. The work is the price that was paid.
The Price you pay to achieve your Prize are the countless hours of hard work, the time invested, lessons learned and applied, instruction taken, practice given, money lost, opportunities foregone, relationships built, and the enjoyment you experience along the way. All these actions and emotions, along with your time make up the price.
Choosing to pay the Price is a deliberate, conscious personal decision by an individual who has a Prize that he or she wants to achieve. Just know there is always a price that must be paid first before any prize is realized.
Here’s a way to think about the price from another perspective. The Price you pay is an investment in self. And like any investment you make whether stocks, bonds, or real estate you are expecting a good return or result from what you put into the endeavor. In this case, the investment is in you and the “return” or “result” you want to receive is the prize you so deeply desire.
The people who achieve their goals and claim their Prize, not only have paid a Price to reach the heights they have attained, but sometimes they keep paying that Price to maintain their level of excellence.
The Prize you seek is easily available to you if you want it, if you believe you can have it and if you are willing to pay the Price to achieve it. Making the decision and commitment
to give the effort to achieve your Prize is a big step in the process. But the work does not stop there. To obtain your prize you need a plan that spells out HOW you will get it done.
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The Plan
To claim your Prize, you need a good plan to follow. The Plan is the organized process you will follow to get the results you want. There are various types of plans you can use depending on what you want to achieve. For instance, the plan can be the recipe you follow to make a delicious meal. It can be the roadmap you use to take a trip. It can be the blueprint for your dream house. It can be the strategy you use to start and operate your own business; it can be a personalized fitness routine that reveals the body you want; or it can be an itinerary that outlines the things you will do for entertainment and fun while vacationing. These are all plans and at some point or another in our lives, we will probably use a couple of them or all of them. However, the type of plan to use for personal pursuits is an action plan.
The action plan explains how you will do the work, in essence how you will pay the price, and when, where, and how you will invest your resources. Writing an action plan may seem overwhelming at first but it’s an important step in getting the results you want. A good starting point is to assess where you are now. Start with listing your talents, skills, abilities, loves, and opportunities. Just doing this one thing will give you a ton of information to help you through the process.
With an action plan, you will be able to answer key questions about where you want to go, why you chose this destination, how best to get there, when you want to arrive and how to measure your progress. An action plan covers the steps and tasks needed to achieve the results you outlined when establishing your desire and destination.
You will always have to invest your time in any endeavor. If you are just starting out your time may be all you have to invest. Notice I said invest your time, not spend your time. The term “spend” means “to waste” whether it’s your time or your money, you don’t want to waste it. On the other hand, investing means you are expecting a positive return [result] from your efforts. When you invest your time wisely you usually get good results. To illustrate this point, look at this NBA icon.
When he was a young boy, Kobe Bryant wanted to be the greatest basketball player to play the game. That was his desire and Prize. His Price was his countless hours (time) in his backyard playing and practicing. At first, it was his time that he readily invested to someday realize his Prize. Don’t only look at Kobe as the finished product, but rather look at the process he invested in to get to what he wanted. Kobe Bryant exemplifies this concept: The Prize – to be the greatest basketball player in the world and win an NBA Championship; The Price – the time, sweat, blood, tears, money invested in perfecting his craft for 30+ years; The Plan – his process was simple at first, but as he grew in skill, age, and knowledge, the process became more sophisticated and defined.
If you have a prize that you want to possess someday, then put the effort into making it happen. Commit to doing the work and then take the first step. Keep in mind, it is an exchange of something of perceived personal value (The Price) for something deeply desired (The Prize) by following a simple process (The Plan).
