Ten Trade-Offs that lead to Personal Potential

WIWAK (When I Was A Kid) my dad once surprised our family when he came back from work and declared that we were leaving the lakeside town where I was born (Kisumu) and moving to the capital city of Kenya (Nairobi). Nairobi was and still is a well appreciated city but I loved Kisumu. Going to Lake Victoria was always fun - the boat rides, hippo point, fishing, playing around the water shore and so much more. My dad’s thinking at that time was that he had to give up in order to go up. Jim Collins refers to this as moving from Good to Great. Successful people understand that life is a journey. Any journey has intersections and those who win are the ones who make good trade-offs at the intersections of life. Bob Buford once said, “None of us know when we will die, but all of us, if we wish, can select our own epitaph”. We select our own epitaph based on the kind of life we live. Are you pursuing a better life? If not, here are ten trade-offs worth making that can qualitatively improve your life and a question after each to prompt your decision-making.

1. Affirmation for accomplishment - Are you going to be one of the boys and get the affirmation of mediocrity or will you step out of the herd and blaze a trail of accomplishment?

2. Financial gain for future potential - Will you be enticed by the promises of wealth or will you live for a life of significance based on your true capacity?

3. Immediate pleasure for personal growth - Are you tempted by the life of ease and play now, or are you motivated by the desire for living your best life possible?

4. Security for significance - Do you want to live a comfortable life of comfort and convenience or will you soar towards a better life in which you make an even greater difference?

5. Acceptance for excellence - Are you going to settle for the acceptance of your peers and friends or will you aim for the excellence that comes from the pursuit of your dreams?

6. Addition for multiplication - Are you satisfied with adding value to your community or will you go for the more rewarding joy of multiplying value to the world?

7. Many things for one thing - Will you be a jack of all trades and master of none or will you stand out from the pack and be a master of one thing?

8. Quantity for quality - Are you going to fill up your life with things and events or will you go for the right things and events?

9. Stability for success - Is your prime desire to have a stable life or are you willing to tap into the success of knowing and realizing your true passion?

10. Work for family - Are you laboring at your work at the expense of your family or are you creating a legacy for those whom you love?

Only through the wise use of trade-offs can we truly reach our potential.