The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth – Chapter 11 – The Law of Trade-Offs

The difference between where we are and where we want to be is created by the changes we are willing to make in our lives.

What will it take for you to go to the next level?

Vision? – Yes

Hard Work? – Of Course

Personal Growth? – Definitely

Letting Go of the Things that You Love and Value the Most? – Yes.

Life has many intersections, opportunities to go up and down. At these intersections we make choices. We can add something to our life, subtract from it, or exchange something we have for something we don’t. The most successful people know when to do which one of these three.

Trade-Offs are Available to Us Throughout Life

We must learn to see trade-offs as opportunities for growth. While we don’t always get what we want, we always get what we choose.

When you face an opportunity for a trade-off, ask yourself these two questions:

1. What are the pluses and minuses of this trad-off? Whenever you react to one of life’s crossroads according to fear rather than looking at its merits, you close yourself off from a potential opportunity. Look at cold hard facts to prevent overestimating the value of what you currently have or underestimating the value of what you might gain by giving it up.

2. Will I go through this change or grow through this change? Good trade-offs are not something to be endured. Positive trade-offs should be seen as opportunities for growth and seized. After all, we become better as a result of them.

Trade-Off Force Us to Make Difficult Personal Changes. The difference between where we are and where we want to be is created by the changes we are willing to make in our lives. As Victor Frankl said: “When we are no longer able to change the situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.”

The Loss of a Trade-Off Is Usually Felt Long Before the Gain. We want change, but we don’t want to wait for the results. These in-between periods of transition can be a real challenge. The change might feel like a loss. How well we deal with this change or loss will depend on personality and partly on attitude. You can’t change your personality, but you choose to have a positive attitude and focus on the upcoming benefits of the trade-off.

Most Trade-Offs Can Be Made at Any Time. If we make bad trade-offs, we might panic, feeling like we blew it and can’t recover. Seldom is that true. Most of the time, we can make choices that will help us to come back. When it comes to choices, never say never. Never is a long, undependable thing and life is too full of rich possibilities.

A Few Trade-Offs Come Only Once. The cycle of change gives us windows of opportunity in which to make decisions. Sometimes that cycle only goes around once. Miss it and the opportunity is gone.

The Higher you Climb, the Tougher the Trade-Offs. “Each success only buys an admission ticket to a more difficult problem.” Henry Kissinger. One of the dangers of success is that it makes people unteachable. Many people are tempted to use their success as permission to discontinue growth. They become convinced that they know enough, and they begin to coast.

Trade-Offs Never Leave Us the Same. Don’t fear failure so much that you refuse to try new things. The saddest summary of a life contains three descriptions: could have, might have, and should have.

Some Trade-Offs are Never Worth the Price. Never trade-off your life values for anything or anyone.

Trade-Offs Worth Making.

1. I am Willing to Give Up Financial Security Today for Potential Tomorrow

2. I am Willing to Give Up Immediate Gratification for Personal Growth

3. I am Willing to Give Up the Fast Life for the Good Life

4. I am Willing to Give Up Security for Significance

5. I am Willing to Give Up Addition for Multiplication

The Law of Trade-Offs – Chapter 11 of the 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth by John C Maxwell