Happy St Patrick’s Day! May the road rise up to meet you…etc., etc.

Despite the Irish surname, I’m not Irish. At least…I don’t think I am. I’d like to do one of those ancestry searches on my own family and find out for sure. It would be cool to actually have some Irish in me so I could go to a pub and raise a glass to my ancestors. Since I married into Irish-ness, I may do that anyway. If the family lore is true, my husband’s clan history has at least one serious badass in it, and his….eh-heh …contribution is forever memorialized on the family coat of arms.

 

Note the blood-red hand that figures so prominently there in the center.

I didn’t dig deeply enough into it to find his name, but the story goes that the red hand emblem represents a clan chieftain who, some centuries ago, competed in a boat race to determine who would take possession of a particular realm. The first to touch land could claim it for his clan.

The chieftain’s boat fell behind in the race, but as soon as land was within throwing distance, this clever ancestor took matters into his own hands….so to speak.

Maybe you can guess where this is going.

Apparently, the fine print didn’t say anything about what had to touch land and whether or not it still had to be attached to a body. The chieftain’s ingenious solution was to cut off his own hand and throw it ashore ahead of the competitors.

Land touched. Race won. Family realm secured…all thanks to Lefty McGinnis and his bloody hand of destiny.

You have to admit, as sacrifice-in-the-name-of-destiny goes, that’s pretty intense. Respect.

Personally, I hope to experience my destiny with all my appendages in tact. But, it would be naive….actually, ludicrous…to think there won’t be some serious sacrifices along the way. It’s not even a matter of “if.” It’s about “when” and “what.” It’s about what I’m willing to sacrifice and what I’m not—as I pursue my purpose.

That is where we all live. Every. Single. Day.

There is no decision we can make that doesn’t come with some sort of balance or sacrifice.

— Simon Sinek

Sacrifice always carries a pain factor. It draws blood. And in the moment of decision, you discover your pain threshold and reveal your non-negotiables.

What would you willingly sacrifice for something that truly matters? ….Your ambition… career advancement…extra income….possessions…free time…various amusing diversions? Will you do the hard work? Will you make the short-term sacrifice for long-term gain?

What will you refuse to slay on the altar of achievement? ….Your integrity….values….morals….family life…relationships? Will you refuse to compromise? Will you do the inconvenient, counter-intuitive, necessary, and right thing?

This is the very definition of having skin in the game. Lefty McGinnis knew it and lived it….literally.

So, when you’re celebrating like an Irishman today, raise a pint to Lefty McGinnis and give a thought to your own destiny and what you will or won’t do to get there. And I implore you—take the long view on this. What sacrifices should you make that will lead to greater significance? What important things are you in danger of sacrificing in your pursuit of fleeting and fickle things?

Destiny awaits. Choose wisely.

Slainte!

(to your good health)