In the premier issue of P Magazine, I shared the age-old philosophy of “no pain, no gain” through the story of my family’s perseverance to build their businesses. I’d like to expand on this timeless ideal with the exploration of yet another hurdle we’ve all faced – sacrifice. Through many experiences, I’ve come to realize that the result of gainful reward does not only stem from tenacity and endurance, but also pain and sacrifice, which are necessary components to reaching a worthwhile goal in the end. Allow me to explain.
As we know, sacrifice is giving up something that is financially or personally valuable to us for the sake of something else. It is an act of selflessness that can cause emotional grievances such as feelings of loss, emptiness or simply missing out. For instance, as a child, growing up in the family retail business, I was envied by all my friends because I could eat as much gelato as I wanted. Even though I was the inadvertent object of my friends’ jealousy, I often felt like I was missing out on what they were experiencing as well. You see, my friends had the freedom to enjoy the summers, the beach, spending time together, and participating in youthful adventures at their leisure – examples of sacrifices I had to make for the sake of my family’s dreams.
Though my family’s entrepreneurial legacy has lasted for more than a century, the sacrifices that came with helping to build this destiny felt enormous at times, but, essentially, the rewards in contrast were even greater. Every day I got to experience the result that our long hours, hard work, and devotion produced – the opportunity to foster meaningful relationships with the individuals we served, who ultimately became an extension of our family. Today, sacrifice is still a necessary part of life, and by way of my colleagues and business partnerships, I continue to be fortunate enough to reap the same benefit as always – the constant growth of family.
I appreciate everything I learned from my family, including a strong work ethic and the reward of sacrifice, albeit superficial or significant. But most of all, I’ll always keep in mind that it is important to take the time to cultivate relationships that will sustain you.
As the busy summer season winds down, take time to spend with family and friends. Enjoy a short vacation and create memories that will last a lifetime. But during those quiet moments, reflect on your “other” family – the loyal customers who continue to support your dreams and offer that consistent reminder of why you sacrifice.
There are instances when sacrifice deceivingly presents itself as adverse because we feel like we’re missing something grand, but sacrifice is a powerful expression of great importance of one point, that point being selflessness for the benefit of something else … in this case, it’s family.