“Mind the Gap”, in the London Underground, is the constant warning to see and beware of the space between the platform and the train door literally a matter of life and death! Boarding my blog, however, “Mind the Gap” is a 2-minute focus on the valuable difference between words or concepts that, without much thought, are otherwise used interchangeably.
What IS the difference, for example, between Sacrifice vs Compromise
Sacrifice is defined as an act of killing a person or animal in a religious ceremony as an offering to please a god.
You wouldn’t want to kill or be killed right? The word sacrifice can focus our sub-conscious on “loss” or “death.” Where there is loss, there is suffering. Sacrifice “vibrates” negatively. When people think they are making a sacrifice, it’s associated with the thought that they are losing something.
Sacrificing can lead to resentment, thoughts of failure and other negative emotions.
Compromising, on the other hand, can focus the sub-conscious on GAIN. Even though there is a movement away from 100% of what is desired, Compromising always ends in BOTH parties GETTING something they did not have before. Sacrifice is a PART of Compromise but when we are unwilling to lose, we are really unwilling to GAIN!
It is saying NOTHING new to you to say that Compromise can lead to long term success, great partnerships and positive emotions. But maybe THIS is new:
“There is no Compromise without Sacrifice…but when Sacrifice IS THE FOCUS of Compromise (when the focus is on loss), it makes true Compromise tougher.”
Moreover, Sacrifice alone…without occurring in the context of Compromise…is really more like the difference between Spending and Investing.
Sacrifice = Spending. Spending is transactional in that you pay a price and you get an item or service. The money is gone never to be seen again…and the “value” remains located in the usefulness/enjoyment of the item purchased.
Compromise = Investing. Investing is transformational because despite the “loss” upfront, the money can come back and even grow over time.
This is why I’m a proponent of compromising in any given situation! It takes an evolved person to embrace Compromise when faced with a situation that requires SACRIFICE and multiple parties to agree.