This same principle applies to success. There are different levels to success and how high you are willing to go up the ladder will determine how much you have to pay to get it. For instance, a small business owner who can take care of his family and pay his bills is, on his own right, a successful person. In the same manner, a CEO of a mega corporation is also a successful person. Both are successful, but in different classes of success. It cost both to be successful, but since they aimed at different success levels, their individual cost were different. You will agree with me that the CEO paid more to get to his position than the small business owner.
We are all allowed to dream big. I have heard some persons make comments that indicates their believe that how far they can go in life is dependent on their fate. That is to say, those who become CEOs of mega corporations were, by fate, destined to become that, and therefore, there is no need to dream big. This has made them settle for less, willing to pay the moderate price to just remain where they are. I, for one, do not believe that. I believe that we are allowed to dream big, and whatever we can dream, we can achieve. The question is, are you willing to pay the price?
Have you ever gone to the market to purchase a thing and that thing which is truly worth $10 was given to you at $5? The answer is "No". Except on rare cases of buying on credit, you must pay in full before you can leave the store with the goods. Unfortunately, in the journey of life and success, there is no credit system. You must pay in full before you receive.
For instance, to get a bachelor's degree, a student is expected to fulfil a list of requirements. These requirements includes, completing a list of courses and credit units, spending a specified number of years in a given tertiary institution, paying your fees in full and so on. If a student fails to fulfill any of the requirements listed above, he will not be awarded a degree certificate.
Knowing fully well that everything comes with a price, and you are expected to pay in full before you can achieve it, it is important that before going for something of value, sit down first and calculate how much it will cost, so as to make sure that you won't waste your time and resources and at the end achieve nothing. Remember, if you don't pay in full, you wont receive what you aimed at; and in some cases all your efforts will be in vain, and you will end up worst than you began.
Therefore, prepare yourself before you begin to pursue your goal. Sit down first and count your cost. Find out how much it will cost you to get to your dreamed destination. Find out what those who went before you did before they finally achieved their pursuit. Look for the cost that were avoidable (places they made mistake), and draft out a plan on how to overcome them. You may even check out for what they did to come out from that problem. This will help you have a coordinated pursuit towards success.
Remember that the value of the goals you are pursuing will determine the price and the risk you will face to achieve it. The road to achievements and success is always rough. But when your eyes is fixed to your goal, and you truly understand the value of what you are chasing, as well as the price you are supposed to pay to achieve it, you will never give up. As long as you don't give up, nothing can stop you from achieving your heart desires.