A book that was rejected 12 times, and accepted only because the final publisher realized that kids would like it, got on November 16, 2001 its own movie version. I am sure many of you may know it and for those that don’t , it was the first installment of the famous series, “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone”.
The movie became instantly a critical and commercial success, grossing $975 million and becoming the 2nd highest grossing film at that time (behind only Titanic). The story of a young kid, attending a wizard school for the first time, and grouping up with his new friends to stop a horrific villain, was not only heartwarming to watch, but also included multiple learning points and scenes worth thinking about.
One such scene was near the end of the movie, when Harry, Ron and Hermione travel by themselves down a dangerous path filled with dangers, including a life-size game of chess. You can see the scene below:
In this scene, they need to get through the queen, which is destroying all statues without mercy. However, they find themselves in a tough spot, where Ron needs to sacrifice himself in order for Harry to move forward. Nothing worthy comes without sacrifices. Every hard challenge will present a situation where a sacrifice is needed – whether it is investing your time, giving up something that you like, or saying no to someone. There is no free lunch, even when sometimes it seems like there is.
“Great Achievement is usually born of great sacrifice and is never the result of selfishness.”-Napoleon Hill
Sometimes you could succeed without sacrificing anything. However, what you may not realize is that even in those situations there is still a sacrifice made. and that sacrifice was not made by you, but by someone else who does it before or for you. Just like Harry was able to win without him sacrificing anything, it was Ron who made the sacrifice. He made it for Harry. And the same applies even to your life.
Whenever you succeed without paying the price, the price is paid by someone else – your parents, friends, colleagues, employees, kids, or sometimes even by people who you never met. People who gave up their time, who worked hard, who paid the price up front, just so you could have it easier and more forward, like Harry.
But many people do not realize this. They crave for success without ready to make sacrifices, giving up their goals and dreams as soon as an obstacle comes in their way expecting others to remove it for them. They think that they are unlucky and play the victim card of how hard it is for them, when other times they can move along smoothly, not realizing that the path was never smooth – the path was and always is bumpy, full of obstacles and challenges – smooth paths are only those that had been curved by people before – people who made the sacrifices.
Therefore, instead of complaining that it is hard, remind yourself of this scene with Harry and Ron – don’t be upset when you need to make sacrifices on your path, but rather be always grateful whenever you can walk a smooth path. Be grateful to those who had paid the price, just so that you don’t have to pay it yourself.
Sacrifices are always necessary – the only question is whether you pay it yourself, or others pay for you.
Remember, the Win Is Within You.
Dr. Owen Fernandes MBA, Ph.D.
