Thursday, March 11, 1999

Pay the price

When you’re ready to pay the price, only then can you truly enjoy and appreciate the benefits. If you get the reward without making the effort, it might look good, it might feel good, it might seem good. But it won’t do you much good. It won’t teach you or compel you to grow stronger as a person.

Have you ever played on a sports team that won a game by forfeit, because the other team did not show up? It’s an empty victory. Sure, it goes in the win column, but it feels more like a defeat. After all, even though the goal is to win, the whole point is to play the game.

Is the point of life to collect trophies? The trophies have value only when they represent the effort you have made and the person you have become. Seeking to obtain the rewards of life without paying the price is like buying someone else’s trophies at a garage sale. They may look impressive on your shelf but they bring no fulfillment and have no meaning.

Which would you rather have -- the fruit or the tree? The fruit is gone after you eat it once. But the tree continues to provide fruit, season after season. The fruits of success are a poor substitute for actually living a life that brings success. Don’t just grab the fruit and run. Take the time to plant and nurture the tree by paying the price and making the effort. Then you’ll have all the fruit you could possibly need.

— Ralph Marston

Lift up another       Live it

Copyright ©1999 Ralph S. Marston, Jr. All Rights Reserved. The Daily Motivator is provided for your personal, non-commercial use only. Other than personal sharing, please do not re-distribute without permission.