What Do You Want?

And what are you willing to give up to get it?

Those two questions have been popping up alot lately in my life and in conversations with my friends.

Intellectually, most of us get the fact that sacrifice is necessary for achievement. But, most of us don't practice it. This concept applies to every single facet of life too.

Me? I want to get more toned up and lose about 10 pounds. This desk job, stress and long hours have taken a toll on my body. Intellectually, I know that I have to schedule my workouts into my day, no matter how burned out I am.

However, on a typical work day, I'm unwilling to give up my 3 snooze bar presses each morning. I've tried to make excuses and rationalize why I 'NEED' that extra hour in the morning. But, when I had to buy new jeans in a size 6, instead of a 4, and the 6 was TIGHT, I had an epiphany.

Would I rather sleep or be tight? I hear people saying

'I can sleep when I'm dead.'

My mantra is going to be 'I can sleep all I want when I'm tight again!'

Last night I was talking to one of my girls and the questions popped in my head again.

Her boyfriend of several years is taking her for granted and she's unhappy. I don't think the guy is a bad dude. I just don't think she's told him what she wants.

I know she wants to see him regularly, meet his peeps, have a consistent and comfortable rapport with the dude. But, I also know that's she's never told him any of this, let alone voice her wants out loud to herself.

I asked her, "How can you get what you want, if you don't even express it?" And the follow up, "What are you willing to give up, to get what you want?"

I just think a guy has to know that what you want is so important to you that you will let him go if he can't meet your expectations. Guys are really good at setting their expectations, we need to take a page from their book here.

Another friend of mine owns a company that regularly hires security guards and cleaning crews for different sites. He has so many stories each week about his employees that either don't show up for work, or get there and do a crappy job. These are the same people that practically begged him for a job and pulled the 'Help a brotha out' card to get my friend to consider employing them. So, he's always astounded when they just 'fall off'. It seems like these folks want a job, but, are not willing to get there on time and make any sacrifices to keep it.

I understand the excuses and the denial we get all wrapped up in, when achieving our goal seems just a little bit more involved than we expected. But, I'm going to snap myself out of it.

I'm tired of hearing myself complain about squeezing into those tight @ss jeans and I've invested waaay too much in my winter boot collection to have the zippers not make it up over my calves. (What's the deal with the calf size being related to the shoe size anyway? Just because I wear a 6.5 my calf has to be smaller than 12 inches?) I'm just done!

And now that I've posted about it, I'll really feel accountable. I hope you ask yourself those two questions whenever you hear yourself taking a tour of Whine Country.

LMAO - Ok, I'm near Napa, I had to get in one corny wine joke.

Holla