The pursuit of excellence requires prioritization and sacrifice.  There is no way one can achieve excellence in any endeavour without sacrifice.  It could be missing that party in order to study, or deciding to be in bed by 9pm so you can be up and in the gym by 5 am the next morning.  It might require putting off the purchase of that luxury item because your money is going to more body work to aid in your recovery.  What ever it is, the pursuit of excellence requires payment and that payment comes in the form of sacrifice and commitment.  The difference between those that excel and those that only achieve mediocrity is in what they are willing to sacrifice and how much they are willing to do.  While there is no guarantee that the sacrifice will result in the achievement of excellence, there is no way excellence is achieved without it.

There can be no progress, no achievement, without sacrifice, and a man’s worldly success will be in the measure that he sacrifices.  James Allen

The important thing is this: to be ready at any moment to sacrifice what you are for what you could become.  Charles Dickens

Sacrifice is a part of life. It’s supposed to be. It’s not something to regret. It’s something to aspire to.  Mitch Albom