“SACRIFICE”- an act of true leadership by Micheal King

True sacrifice is not a deprivation; it is not a renunciation of material or moral satisfaction for the benefit of someone else.

When we hear the word sacrifice, we often think of completely selfless acts in which someone does something for another entirely for the other person’s benefit. The image of a soldier sacrificing his life for his comrades frequently comes to mind. 

But sacrifice isn’t purely altruistic. The best definition of sacrifice is this: “To forfeit something for something else considered to have a greater value.” (American Heritage Dictionary, and my emphasis). Sacrifice does not mean giving up something for nothing; it means giving up one thing for something else we believe is worth more.

This does not at all take away virtue from an act of sacrifice. Instead of locating the merit of sacrifice in unselfishness, we can find it in a man’s chosen value system.

When we sacrifice, we agree to die in order to live – to live a different life, the life of God. It is the desire to die to your lower self, and in doing so not only do you not die, but you become truly alive. Sacrifice is therefore an act of heroism, since it is a kind of confrontation with death.

Many people today want to climb up the corporate ladder because they believe that freedom and power are the prizes waiting at the top. They don’t realize that the true nature of leadership is really sacrifice.

Most people will acknowledge that sacrifices are necessary at the early stage in a leadership career. People give up many things in order to gain potential opportunities; but the minute they climb, they forget the sacrifices they had to make and why they need to keep making sacrifices.

Sacrifice is a “constant” in leadership. It is an ongoing process, not a one-time payment.

You cannot replicate success without giving up more to sustain it

One act of sacrifice seldom brings success that’s why we mustn’t complain or congratulate ourselves when we give up something and things don’t work out the way we expect. But there’s always something gained in the end. Philosopher-poet Ralph Waldo Emerson offered this option:

“For everything you have missed, you have gained something else; and for everything you gained, you lose something.”

To go up, you have to give up. That is the true nature of leadership.

Extract from Richards Osanaiye (Author ’30 Things to know before you are 30’)

Sacrifice:  is an act of slaughtering an animal or person or surrendering a possession as an offering to a deity.

It also means to give up (something valuable) for the sake of other considerations.

It means to: give up, abandon, surrender, forgo, renounce, forfeit, relinquish, resign, or to abdicate.

If you are not ready to let go of some things, you are not ready to receive some things – Life is give and take. Life is a market place where nobody gives you anything until you pay for it, and the currency is sacrifice.

Where you are today is a result of yesterday’s sacrifices, and your tomorrow will be a result of today’s sacrifices.

You are going to first slaughter yourself as a living sacrifice to God. You have to kill self, and you have to sign up for God’s perfect will. You are on Earth just to please God.

You will also have to pay for your heart desires. And the more your expectation, the greater your sacrifice. You need to reduce your sleep to work harder, you will have to say no to some friends to have more time to think; you will have to stay hungry so that you will not beg tomorrow, you will have to say no to temporary gratifications and embrace sufferings and hard time in order to buy the future.

Every of your role model are heroes of sacrifice. Don’t model results but model sacrifice.

Your tomorrow is asking you for a seed; what are you going to sow, what will you let go? The world belongs to the highest bidders. The more you are ready to give, the more you receive.

Don’t dump your life on God. Play your part and let God play His part. Sow your seed and harvest is guaranteed.

So if that is the definition of sacrifice, what is the law of sacrifice? The law of sacrifice says that you cannot get something you want, without giving up something in return. In order to attain a height you believe is of greater value, you must give up something you believe is of lesser value.

Society today tries to deny the law of sacrifice at every turn, promising people that they can fulfill their desires without having to forsake anything at all. “Lose weight without giving up your favorite foods!” “Get ripped without long workouts!” “Get rich without having to work hard!”

The fantasy that you can have whatever you’d like without ever paying for it is an incredibly seductive fantasy.

But it is only a fantasy. There is always a price to pay.

Sure, sometimes fame and good fortune seemingly drop into someone’s lap. The law of sacrifice is not as irrevocable, as say, the law of gravity. But as Frederick Douglas said:

“A man at times, gets something for nothing, but it will in his hands, amount to nothing.”

This is the beauty of the law of sacrifice. Not only is it the only path to achieving your goals, but the path itself prepares you to handle life at the top. Sacrificing not only gets you to your goals, but hones and shapes you as a man along the way.

A man’s ability to see through the cultural smokescreen that obscures the law of sacrifice is absolutely vital for a couple of reasons.

First, the denial of the law of sacrifice keeps a man from progressing in life. To reach your goals, you must move forward, which necessitates leaving some things behind. But the man who believes he can get whatever he desires without sacrifice tries to hold onto everything in an attempt to have it all. Instead of moving forward, he is stretched out horizontally and sitting on the fence.

Failing to understand the law of sacrifice also leads to a life of restlessness and regret. When you believe you can have whatever you want, without giving up anything in return, you can never fully embrace and enjoy your choices.

Great unhappiness arises when we fail to acknowledge the necessity of sacrifice and subconsciously hold the idea in our heads that we can have both things at the same time.

If you are unhappy in your choice, it is because you chose something that you believe has a higher value than what you left behind. The law of sacrifice reveals and operates according to our personal value system. If we don’t have a cut physique, it is because we value the freedom to eat whatever we’d like more than six pack abs. If we don’t have a 4.0 or 5.0 CGPA, it’s because we value time spent with friends more than grades. If you’ve ever wondered why you lack the discipline to attain a certain goal, it is likely because in your heart of hearts, you don’t really value that goal as much as you think you do.

At the end of the day, the most important question we should ask ourselves when evaluating our dreams, desires, and goals, may not be, “What am I willing to do to attain them?” but “What am I willing to give up?


There you have it guys! I hope you’ve learnt something from this as much as I did. You can leave a comment of what you gained from this and let’s have a discussion.

And come on family, don’t forget to share.

Much love,


Ps: The soft copy is also available, you can always reach me anytime for it.


1 thought on ““SACRIFICE”- an act of true leadership by Micheal King”

  1. “If you’ve ever wondered why you lack the discipline to attain a certain goal, it is likely because in your heart of hearts, you don’t really value that goal as much as you think you do”. THANK YOU.

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