 It is no secret that success requires sacrifice. Maya Angelou once said, whatever you want to do, if you want to be great at it, you have to love it and be able to make sacrifices for it. Every man who dreams of a prosperous future must be ready to make sacrifices in his 20s. In this video, I will share with you 9 sacrifices every man should make in their 20s. 1. Go of your ego. One inherent characteristic of man is that he is a prideful being and from a young age this prideful character tends to surface. Think about those times as a kid when you refused to say sorry for the offence you knew you committed. You would instead get spanked or those times you got pissed for being corrected by an older sister because you are the man. Indeed, you are not aware of the fact that those behaviors were triggered by pride. However, as you grow old, you must begin to let go of your ego. Many men leave miserably today, not because opportunities did not come by their way but they allowed their ego to get in the form of their chances. As a young man who aims to be successful, there is a need to let go of your ego and let go early enough. In most cases, this ego is built as a shield, a protection from hurt, but then they have future repercussions which can be devastating. 2. Watching TV An anonymous writer once wrote, Life is meant to be believed, not watched. To get started living your own life rather than watching others live theirs, consider its impact on your life. Well, this is not saying that you should quit TV totally. I mean, watching sports, TV programs and the likes are an excellent way to relax and ease off from stress, but then again as a young man in your 20s you have to reduce the rate at which you watch TV. If you must watch TV frequently, focus on educative and informative shows and channels. Apart from the fact that watching TV snatches the time you ought to use for other productive things, it also has psychological effects in the long run. One study found that people in their 20s and 30s who watched at least 3 hours of TV a day did worse on tests of cognitive focus and speed when they reached their 40s and 50s than those who had watched less TV as young adults. In the words of educator and entrepreneur Zravko Zyvertik, if you want to be more successful, limiting social media and television is a great start. 3. First Junk Food Over the past few decades, Vada Pav, Samosas, Donuts, Pizzas, Burgers, Rolls, Raps, French Fries, etc. have penetrated every corner. Research shows that highly processed foods now make up more than 60% of the average American diet. But have you ever considered why? They are called Junks? Well, it is because they are junk. Regardless, the consequences these junk foods have on your health are terrible, irrespective of whether you have them once in a while, twice in a week or every day. Eating too many processed foods will affect you with fatigue, increase your risk of obesity and chronic diseases like cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. As a man in your 20s you ought to sacrifice eating junk food and opt for plenty of vegetables and fruits. 4. Toxic Relationships We all come to a moment in life when we realize that it's time to cut ties with someone that we once loved. Indeed it is hard to let go of certain people in our lives even when we know that they add nothing to us but take a lot from us. However, it is a significant sacrifice every young man who desires success should make. A toxic relationship contaminates your self-esteem, your happiness and the way you see yourself and the world. Your 20s is a time for you to assess the relationship you got into and declutter them. Some links may start healthy and in a good note. However with time changes may occur and the relationship may become toxic. No matter how firmly attached you have become with that person, when toxicity springs you must try as much as you can to let go for the sake of your mental health and your future. 5. For many, especially if you are an extrovert, this will be the hardest thing to sacrifice. Some of your friends will eventually stop calling you when you do not give them as much attention as you used to. As you grow older you must always have it in mind that not everyone will remain with you all through your journey in life. Stepping into new phases like getting out of college, starting a new job or building your business will cause a reduction in your time out with friends and not everyone will be able to hold on and adapt to your new patterns. Maybe you used to be the life of the party present in every social gathering while in college. It will no longer be that way. For you to focus more and be successful in your new endeavor, the outing lifestyle has to go. Except you are like an MC, a DJ or any form of entertainer. 6. Immediate Desires Delayed gratification is essential for success in life. Yet not everyone can forego short-term pleasures. In the words of Frank Sonnenberg, an award-winning American author, we've become so addicted to instant gratification that we are blind to the impact it has on our lives. The fact that it is not wrong for us to have these immediate desires, these temptations to choose the easier option, it's normal to feel that way. However, when we sacrifice what we want right now, we are saving our time and energy for something more substantial. We have to choose between our immediate desires and the needs that will propel our dreams forward. A young man in his 20s with dreams and ambitions must learn to sacrifice his immediate wants and focus only on things that will take him closer to his goals and aspirations. 7. Sleep Sleeping well is often cited as a critical method of improving one's health and well-being. However, when the challenges of life and quest to make dreams a reality require more hours in the day than a person has available, sleep is often sacrificed. Thus, it is common to hear successful people say they sleep just 4-5 hours a day. One notable example is Tony Robbins. And while the science of sleep contradicts claims that most people can function at 100% on this lethal sleep, many successful people similarly make it work. Because no matter how productive you are during the day, you need those extra hours at night. Without those additional periods of peace, you may not be able to get everything done. For those wanting to achieve success, the rewarding feeling they get when they've accomplished their tasks always makes the reduced amount of sleep worth it. 8. Confort Confort is something that everyone longs for. The reason why we all struggle to make wealth is so that when we are old, we will retire and leave comfortably. One of the primary reasons why many young men find it difficult to sacrifice their comfort is because they are scared of what the outcome will be. But American psychologist Abraham Maslow once asserted one can choose to go back toward safety or forward toward growth. Growth must be chosen again and again. Fear must be overcome again and again. Stepping outside of your comfort zone is paramount to discovering your passion, accomplishing your goals and finding happiness. However, many young men want to start and end their lives in comfort. But then, that is almost impossible except you were born into a wealthy family. Even still, it will help if you worked hard to be able to manage and sustain the legacy left by your parents. 9. Excess Alcohol Getting drunk in college is different than getting drunk when you have a full-time job. The fourth phase of drinking in your 20s comes at this time. Thus, despite complaining about a severe hangover, you'll need to work at the office desk. Drinking excessive alcohol has been revealed to be linked to increased cancer risk, brain damage, liver failure and other health complications. Also, as you grow older, your body's capacity to take in alcohol reduces. This means that as you approach 30, your body system will not be able to withstand the quantity of booze it used to retain. Thus, overindulgence in drinking will not be favorable to you in the long run. Dr. Charles Metzger, an MD-VIP affiliated internist, advises that we learn most of our lifelong drinking habits in our early 20s because breaking bad habits becomes much more difficult as we age. So, keep the drinking in check while your liver still loves you. Although what sacrifices successful people make depends on them, there are certain universal ones. They are things that must be or at least often are given up in almost every case while on the path to success.