Are You Committed?

Ok Guys as I was writing this I completely changed my mind about this message I initially wanted to deliver. Originally I wanted to speak about the importance of commitment, however I think thats been shoved in your face enough from every trainer at this point. So I decided to show you HOW to commit, rather than just sating the obvious.

 

What it means to commit to something?

 I hear people constantly complain about not getting something, about not achieving their goals, or all the problems they are facing that makes their life “difficult.” Here’s my opinion if you are not 100% committed to whatever it is that you want, then you have no right to complain. On the other side of things if you feel you are committed, and doing everything you possibly can,  then I can SLIGHTLY understand complaining.

If people would immediately quit complaining the moment they realized that: we don’t get what we want; we only get what we are 100 percent committed to. In other words, unless you are fully committed to something, you don’t have a hope in the world of bringing your desires into reality.

Here is the problem we and myself included sometimes misinterpret our “commitment” to something meaningful or worthwhile, when in actuality its nothing more than a simple “interest” in something which ISNT enough.

Commitment is also able the small things as well as the big things. You make small commitments everyday, for example you may commit to developing a new habit, learning a new skill, or even keeping a promise, etc. we make small commitments every single day, however HOW many of these commitments do you actually keep?

 

The moment you break a commitment is the moment you are sending a message to your brain that you are unable to follow-through with the promises you make to yourself. And because your brain is being conditioned in this way, this means that the next time you commit to something, your brain will automatically expect that you won’t follow-through with your promise, and as such it will figure out a way to break that commitment.

 

In order to overcome this vicious cycle, you must recognize the difference between a commitment and the act of just being interested in something. When you’re just interested in something you have a very foggy idea of what it will take to achieve your desired outcomes. In other words, you have absolutely no idea what you’re getting yourself into. However, when you are committed to something, you have a very clear idea of what lies ahead on your journey; the sacrifices you must make; the resources you must acquire; and how you’re going to respond to the challenges that await. And that’s all about clarity.

Commitment Requires Clarity

Gain Clarity About What You Want

In order to commit to something, you must have clarity about what it is you want, or in other words, what you are specifically committing yourself to. Ask yourself:

What is it that I want to do?

What is it that I want to commit myself to do?

Why do I want this?

Why specifically do I want this right now?

What are the benefits of having this thing in my life?

The one thing that distinguishes a “commitment” from an “interest” is the reason for wanting something. When you’re committed to something, you have some very strong reasons for why you want that “something” in your life. On the other hand, when you’re merely interested in something, you simply don’t have enough reasons to want that “thing” in your life.

 

Gain Clarity About Potential Sacrifices

It’s also important to take into account possible drawbacks of making this commitment. Ask yourself:

 

Are there any potential drawbacks?

How do I feel about these drawbacks?

What time commitments might I need to make?

How much money might I need to put into this?

What kinds of resources might I need to sacrifice?

If I commit to this, what will I be unable to do?

 

Gain Clarity About Obstacles You Might Face

 

Obstacles are another thing that can often derail your level of commitment to a given path. However, for the most part, these obstacles aren’t the problem. The problem is that these obstacles weren’t expected, and because we didn’t expect to confront these obstacles we are simply ill-prepared to handle them. To avoid this mistake, ask yourself:

 

What could potentially prevent me from getting what I want?

What obstacles outside of me could derail my efforts? What specific circumstances? What specific people?

What obstacles within me could derail my efforts? Limiting beliefs? Mindset? Unhelpful habits?

How will I handle each of these obstacles?

What if I can’t successfully handle them? How could I adapt?

 

Gain Clarity About the Resources You Might Need

So, you don’t have the necessary tools to climb this mountain? This, of course, presents a problem, however, it didn’t need to be a problem if you simply took the time to bring your mountain gear.

 

What obstacles will I potentially face along this journey?

What resources might I need to overcome each of these obstacles successfully?

What tools, skills, knowledge, information, and support might be required?

How will I go about acquiring these resources?

As you answer these questions, what you might find is that some of the obstacles that you previously thought were difficult to overcome, no longer seem so difficult because you now have the necessary resources to tackle them successfully.

Gain Clarity About Your Commitment Levels

Having now completed all the background work, you should have a very clear idea about what it will take to commit yourself to following through with this decision or action. However, just to be sure, you might find it helpful to ask yourself the following questions:

Am I perfectly clear about what is required to achieve this outcome?

How motivated am I to commit to this wholeheartedly?

How confident am I that I can follow through with my commitment?

On a scale of 0 to 10, how committed am I to do this?

Commit Yourself to Excellence

Committing yourself to excellence means doing the very best you can with whatever you have at any moment in time. It also means consistently raising your standards in order to improve on past performances.

 

Create a Plan of Action

Once you have your vision in place, you must now develop a plan of action that will bring that vision to life. This plan must support the fulfillment of that vision in every way. As such it needs to have certain elements in place, including:

• Short-term objectives including step-by-step actions you will take and tasks you will complete.
• Long-term projects and goals that you will commit to.
• Clear deadlines for completing everything.
• Rewards for reaching targets and penalties for failing to reach those targets.

Sources: Adam Sicinski, https://blog.iqmatrix.com/unwavering-commitment