How committed are you? Lately, I’ve been addressing my commitment issues that I have in a lot of areas of my life, and this little gem of a quote popped up…
“99% is a bitch, 100% is a breeze” – Jack Canfield
This is how Jack explains that it’s harder to sort of commit to something, than it is to just be ALL IN! When I think about it, it makes a lot of sense, doesn’t it? However, I’d be willing to bet that some of us are really committed, until things get tough or we’re facing failure…
To examine this point further, here’s a quote by Ken Blanchard, coauthor of “The One Minute Manager.”
“There is a difference between interest and commitment. When you’re interested in doing something, you do it only when it’s convenient. When you’re committed to something, you accept no excuses, only results.”
I’ll let you read that again and let it sink in a little…
For me, it was a refreshing slap in the face of tough love for why some things aren’t working for me in my life, while other things are really working great. It all comes down to my commitment level.
This truth applies to our health, finances, relationships, &/or career goals!
You see, once we commit to something or someone 100%, there’s no other option or decision to be made. You can then focus all of your energy and resources to achieving a particular goal or intention.
For example, last spring I “committed” to NO WINE for 90 days. You see if I would’ve said, “Well, I’m interested in “trying” not to drink wine for 90 days,” it leaves room for the internal debate to start. Once you let that internal debate begin, it doesn’t take long for it to wear you down….And before you know it, you’ve started doing the behavior that you didn’t want to do!
You’ll know when you’re commitment level isn’t 100%.
This is where we start rationalizing, justifying, &/or making excuses of why we aren’t staying committed or committing to an intention or goal, and start thinking or saying things like:
- “But, it isn’t fun to be the only one not drinking at the party.”
- “If I can’t make it to the gym, than I might as well not do any exercise.”
- “My knee is injured, so I can’t do anything to lose weight.”
- “I really want to put money away in my IRA, but I’d really look good in this new outfit.”
- “Eating out with my friends won’t be as fun, if I have to choose healthy foods.”
But once we decide and commit 100% to something, we’ll FIND the way to do whatever it takes for us to reach our goals/commitments, and SHUT DOWN the excuses, even when the going gets tough or we’re facing failure. Instead, we start finding SOLUTIONS!
It definitely doesn’t mean that there won’t be ups and downs, cravings for certain substances, stressful times, emergencies, &/or setbacks, BUT, we won’t let these things keep us from getting started on something that we really want or derail us from our path of action.
When I went 90 days without wine, I thought to myself how nice it’d be to go home and have a glass of red wine and how maybe I might have been little aggressive with this whole 90 day “No Wine” thing.
As soon as this thought crept in though, I said, “NOPE, you’ve committed to 90 days, and you can do it! So, put it out of your mind for now. You’re going to have your sparkling water instead.”
[bctt tweet=”Remember for every excuse we give ourselves for why we aren’t doing something, there’s someone else out there that’s finding a way to DO IT, despite their circumstances.” username=”tmoofit”]
Finally, when we commit 100% to a certain goal, we greatly reduce the risk of giving into our cravings, desires, & interests that are controlled by the emotional brain &/or our circumstances.
This week, I invite you to think about your commitments to yourself &/or others. In what areas of your life are your commitments strong and you’re doing really well? In what areas are your commitments weaker and slipping? Take the time over the weekend to write down some goals for yourself and commit 100% to achieving them!
If you’d like to share what you’re committing to, let me know in the comments below!
Thanks for stopping by,
Tommie