Right now I’m saving up cash for schooling, and maybe even a down payment on a place. My ex GF was never excited about owning property even though I always have wanted to. Now I’m living with my folks for the next 10 months which will allow me to save up some sizable cash. I still have a long commute to work, but the savings in my bank account make it worth it. I lived at home in my early 20’s to save cash before as well. I suppose music was also a big sacrifice for me in the sense i’ve turned down many many socializing opportunities to practice and build my skill-set. I’d be curious to see what other people have done to achieve their dreams.
I still live in California…though it cost me my job. And it was a damn good job…
The company I worked for moved to Pittsburgh. I didn’t want to move to Pittsburgh! (Actually, a very nice place! I stayed for a few weeks…in the summer. But I’m just not cut out for real winters!)
So: my dream, to stay here where I feel at home, was accomplished at the price of unemployment. Life sucks…
I’ve had a few books published…but was lucky; I never had to make any compromises with editors on content. (In fact, my editors have improved my content by wise recommendations.)
I’m unmarried… Too many compromises would be necessary for happiness. So, there’s a dream I’m missing out on entirely.
I started my career when I was 29. At the bottom of the ladder so I needed to play catch up with my peer group. That involved moving way up north to take on more opportunties/responsibilities, narrow the competition and earn street cred in the organization. It’s working so far, and the career is certainly taking off.
The sacrifice…I’ve deep-sixed my social life. Most of my friends and the cultures I like to hang out with live in larger centres and I’m so far away that it’s really difficult to even meet anyone halfway. Despite my best efforts I just can’t seem to get any kind of circle together. It’s pretty damn lonely.
The weird thing is…while I’ll certainly move my way south, I don’t ever believe I’ll ever be able to redevelop the kind of social circles I had when I was younger.
As for dreams? I managed to get a lot of my world travels done when I was in my 20’s. That was a big win, but it meant I had to start the job game much later than many.
Just a comment that not all dreams turn out to be what you really want in the end, and not all sacrifices are worth it.
For example, my brother in law had a good, stable but boring job in computers, it paid well, and he got to live in the exact area he wanted to and was near his family in the Bay Area. But his passion was music. So he quit his job and got an extremely rare and prestigious scholarship to study music at Harvard. Finally he graduated after 5 years of scrimping and saving and living off ramen. The only job he could find was being a professor of music at a small liberal arts college in New Jersey. Now he lives in an area he dislikes, he gets less money than he at his previous job, and he lives across the country from his beloved family.
He says the whole ‘follow your dream’ was a huge mistake for him.
I remember an article about a couple who found their dream home except the cedar shingles had been painted. They spent years, in all their spare time, stripping it until finally it was perfect. At some point circumstances caused them to sell and move. When they later “happened to drive by” to see what the new owners had done with the place—they had painted the shingles.
Choose your goals carefully. Nobody can take an education away from you; it can’t be foreclosed on or lost in a card game. Develop your character and adversity won’t erase respect. Be careful where you send you resume (stolen from a comic strip.) If you’ve always wanted to live on the beach, don’t apply to a company in Montana.
People, life, can only take away from you what you’re willing to give up. You are in a magical place in your life—the time to choose. Stay focused and tweak your needs. Sacrifice only lasts till you get there.
I followed my dream. I quit work at 29. I bought a house but lived in a vw bus.
I began planning for retirement and investing in it while in my 20’s. I still remember sitting in a sports car back then thinking how great it would be to own this fantastic car. Instead, I put the money in an IRA.
It’s paying off big time now!
When I was a kid, I wanted to get a waterbed when I grew up. That dream has come true.
None and too many.