“Give your 110%”, “Keeping Dreaming” and etc, these terms were coined in order to achieve any goal. As a matter of fact, it all starts with determination and the will to exert any amount of energy.
Once a goal is reached, it is easy to become smug and lose the desire to strive for more. At the same time, if you fall short, it’s common to lose any determination to work for another dream. In other words, people always leave their vulnerable self when people put in a lot of effort to achieve something that may never happen.
But to what extent are they willing to go and what might be the ultimate cost? I have an answer to that question, the ultimate sacrifice for achieving the so-called “American Dream” is Pride.
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is an American classic. It appears to be a story that adjoins on soap opera focusing on the never-ending battle between the haves and the have-nots, highlighted by the foolish lifestyle of 1920s America.
It was during this time period that the term “American Dream” was neologized and society began the endless pursuit to fulfill their dream. In the book, Jay Gatsby is willing to do anything in order to gain the love of Daisy, for him and him alone. Gatsby convinces Daisy husband, Tom Buchanan that ‘She never loved you, do you hear?’ he cried. It was a terrible mistake, but in her heart, she never loved anyone except me!’, he denied the thought of anyone else loving Daisy.
To impress Daisy, Gatsby completely changed his ways, he changed his name, character, and life ‘The truth was that Jay Gatsby, of West Egg, Long Island, sprang from his Platonic conception of himself. He was a son of God—a phrase which, if it means anything, means just that—and he must be about His Father’s business, the service of a vast, vulgar, and meretricious beauty. So he invented just the sort of Jay Gatsby that a seventeen-year-old boy would be likely to invent, and to this conception, he was faithful to the end.’
Gatsby threw away his old life, name, and pride to be able to be this fake image of a perfect person.
In Inside Jobs, Matt Damon narrates a documentary that provides a comprehensive exploration of the elements that led to the collapse and distinguishes keys economic and administrative players.
Wall Street is the place where pride is not found, ‘You’re going to make an extra $2 million a year, or $10 million a year for putting your financial institution at risk.
Someone else pays the bill, you don’t. Would you make that bet? Most people on Wall Street said, ‘Sure, I’d make that bet.”, the people working are talking to themselves when in fact ‘The financial industry is a service industry. It should serve others before it serves itself.’, greed and money overpowered pride and people surrender to the pressure and it is ruining the world. The crisis consumed an enormous sum of financial and housing wealth, driven into the ground by Wall Street.
Suceess.com wrote an article about 10 Sacrifices Successful People Make for Their Dreams. Gary Vaynerchuk, founder, and CEO of Vagner Media (700+ employees with over $100 million annual revenue) and the New York Times best-selling author of #AskGaryvee. Gary Vaynerchuk biggest sacrifice was ‘.. Instant delay in gratification’
Mr. Vaynerchuk “learned the importance of scaring short-term pleasure for long-term happiness.” When we earned the important, he learned that “Life is a long game”, when he started his business he lost his pride like “[you’ve] made a division that doesn’t allow any time in year one to focus on anything but building it.” With his success, came problems with losing his pride, being with family, “when I’m taking my kids on business trips and showing them to the world, we’re reaping the benefits.”
Anything we do that brings us in power or success there is always a negative idea or energy. Pride can be seen everywhere in today’s world from becoming famous, successes and achievements. Giving you 110% and keeping dreaming these phrases has many sacrifices. One of this ultimate sacrifice is pride, in order to achieve this so-called “American Dream”,