The true meaning of commitment

For the longest amount of time, I struggled to follow through on my goals.

I would have ambitious ideas that excited me but what would often start off strong and full of enthusiasm would soon fade out.

Plans to change my diet which would fade after a few weeks.

Checklists to complete outstanding business tasks that never ended up being completed.

The same could be said not only of my personal goals but with my relationships.

I wasn’t always true to my word and as painful as it is to recall, my commitments to friends and family wouldn’t always be fulfilled.

The truth of the matter was I misunderstood what it meant to be committed.

I mistook intention for commitment.

I thought by simply having the intention to do something that it was enough.

But the reality is that commitment is deep-seated

Commitment is immovable.

Commitment is deciding that something needs to be done, irrespective of how or what it takes to get there.

“Most people who fail in their dream, fail not from a lack of ability but a lack of commitment”

Zig Ziglar

On May 25 1961 President Kennedy issued an incredible speech before a joint session of congress, declaring his intention to bring humans to the moon within 10 years.

He said “I believe this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to earth.

8 years later on July 20th 1969, this vision became a reality when three NASA Astronauts landed on the moon.

That for me is one of the greatest representations of commitment there is. At the time when the announcement was made, the idea really was a ‘moonshot’.

No one had any idea how they would get people to the moon but somehow, they found a way.

How to strengthen your commitment muscle

The capacity to fulfil commitments increases with time, and decreases without use. Here’s what could work for you:

1.?????Get clear on what is important to you - Be focussed on the order of your priorities: family, friends, wealth creation, health etc and the relationship that would like to have with each of them.

2.?????Start small – Commitment doesn’t have to come with major goals like committing to running a marathon every week for a year. Start small and most importantly, follow through.

3.?????Keep yourself accountable – I used to journal every morning and evening. In the morning I commit to 3 tasks/goals for the day and in the evening, I review how well I have adhered to them. Writing things down adds tangibility and accountability.

4.??????Give yourself grace – Don’t beat yourself up too much if you don’t always meet your own expectations. Building commitment is a process that strengthens the more you set and complete your own expectations.

Thinking about a decision does not make it real, only committing does.

As the saying goes, once committed, you will find a way. But without commitment, you will be lost

The Ultimate Coach, Steve Hardison articulates this perfectly

There is an enormous difference between the concept or definition of commitment and the EXPERIENCE of commitment.

Two simple examples: Reading about electricity is a concept, BEING shocked by a live current of electricity is an experience. Looking at a picture of the hamburger you are about to order is the concept hamburger. Eating the actual hamburger is the experience.

Concept and experience are hugely different. When one experiences commitment, it is in another realm as compared to the concept or definition of commitment.

How can strengthening commitment improve your life?