A sacrifice in chess only works if you’ve calculated what you get back. Same for the ones you make in life.

Giving something up is not noble by itself. On the board a sacrifice is a trade with a known return, and without the calculation it is just losing a piece and calling it strategy. The same test applies to the time and chances you hand over, where there has to be something coming back and you should be able to name it.

Before you give something up, say what you expect in return and roughly when. If you cannot answer, that is worth pausing over. Not every sacrifice needs a payment, but the ones made with no idea what they buy tend to turn into resentment later.