For Christians, the season of Lent starts today.  It’s a time of contemplation and sacrifice.  Some people choose to “give up” something for the forty days before Easter. It could be chocolate or wine or chips or something else that they will miss but will enjoy again at the end of the Lenten journey.

This got me thinking about sacrifices in general.  And how many of us make countless sacrifices throughout our lives.

It could be taking a job that we might not enjoy but is necessary to move us forward on our financial journey.  It could be our own beloved hobbies as we focus on raising a family.  It could be our health as we struggle to keep all the balls up in the air and hope we don’t drop the ones made of glass.  It could be our time as our schedules overflow with commitments.

Sacrifices are necessary and valuable in life.  Once you have a goal, you have to give up some things to get there.  But when we have a choice, we need to assess which sacrifices are worthy of what might be lost in the process.

We need to decide what our priorities are and base our sacrifices on that list. Family, friends, career, vacations, growth, and health are some things you might sacrifice for.  But if you are losing any of the things on this list through a sacrifice, make sure to evaluate the consequences.  And be grateful for the things you value the most.

Sidney Howard, Academy Award winning-writer of the adapted screenplay of Gone With The Wind, once said, “One half of knowing what you want is knowing what you must give up before you get it.”

Decide what you must give up.  But the one thing you should never sacrifice is your authentic self.