The Harshest Compromise

Someone far wiser than I once stated that life is full of choices and compromises. We are all no doubt aware of the choices we make, and probably most of the compromises, but it has become apparent that life is full of hidden compromises, so well hidden that we don't even realize we are making a compromise until someone outside of the situation points it out.

The most insidious, the harshest of these compromises (at least in my loud, obnoxious opinion), is the decision to settle between the choice of what we really want out of life, and how much effort we are willing to put in to achieve what we really want out of life.

Very, very few people appear to be able to sacrifice everything necessary to actually get what they really want out of life - most people (yours truly included) - just settle for "good enough."

There's no need to point out the obvious compromises such as those made in relationships, education, careers, etc. - enough of us are walking around telling ourselves that we screwed up settling for such and such when with a little more effort or determination, we could have had what we imagine would have been the optimal, the desired.

The hidden compromises are usually centered around cost. By cost I mean what you are paying now in terms of time, effort, resources, etc., to be who you are where you are, and what you would have to pay in terms of time, effort, resources, to be who and where you want to be.

There must be something in the majority of us that triggers a "good enough" decision. 

There must be a reason that the majority of the wealth, acclaim, glory, etc. of the world is in the hands of an extremely small fraction of the population. It has to be due to that extremely small fraction of the population lacking the "good enough" switch in the ol' noggin.

Those people, they are the ones walking around everyday saying "It is never good enough, I must do more, I must have more, I must accomplish more - I will do whatever it takes to achieve my goals!"

These are the people who, when faced with the choice of doing something, anything at all - even if it's a guaranteed good time - that gets between them and their goals, walk away from the guaranteed good time choice and stick to their plans. 

I wonder what that's like.