Give three examples of an important trade off that you face in your life?

Trade-offs are important to those of us who want to succeed at the personal goals we have in life. In fact, it wouldn't be overstating the case to say these are more like sacrifices than trade-offs.

Some months ago, I read an excellent article online by the writer David Wong (John Dies at the End, This Book is Full of Spiders), who emphasized the point that in order to accomplish what we feel we want out of life, we needed to make the time to achieve those goals.

To do this, Wong said it meant giving up other things we like to do, even if it led to spending less time with friends or family. If you wanted to play the guitar at a professional level, then it might mean sacrificing time spent down at the bar with the guys.

I think Wong is absolutely right and I saw how changes I had made in the past, and wanted to make in the future, can impact on the rest of my life.

Trade-Offs I Have Made in My Life

1. I always felt I could make a living by writing, but needed to learn the basics of doing so professionally, and to learn about the great writers of the past. This would take time and effort, but I did it anyway, by taking college courses and writing as much as I could in my spare time. This meant less time for hanging out with friends or watching TV, but it was a trade-off I wanted to make.
   
2. For a long time, I enjoyed walking and cycling, and I still do, but only when necessary. I do less of each now because I took up running a couple of years ago and I wanted to get in better shape. I also found that I wanted to improve at running, so I took extra time from my routine elsewhere to run for longer. This could mean less time reading the newspaper or preparing an elaborate meal, but it was a sacrifice I was happy to make to improve my running times.
3. Talking of food, an obvious example of a trade-off is dieting. Most of us enjoy junk food of some sort, but we know it's bad for us and can led to putting on weight. I don't want that to happen, so I eat food now I wouldn't have been so keen on in the past. Twenty years ago, I never thought I'd ever be eating so many tomatoes! I also have an ambition to find work as a life-model, and it's a simple fact that the better shape you are in, the likelier you are to get a booking. So, no more potato chips for me.

It's not as bad as it sounds. You can listen to music or radio shows as you run, thanks to iPhones, and box sets mean you can catch up on your favorite TV programs on a rainy day.