How Committed Are You?

Commitment – the act of an agreement or promise to do something in the future, making a pledge to someone or something, the act or process of entrusting or consigning for safe-keeping; the state of being bound emotionally or intellectually to a course of action or to another person or persons.

This word brings up a lot of different reactions to people but for the most part it can make us feel somewhat uncomfortable. With that said, our tendency is to either overcommit or undercommit. So, what’s the big deal about commitment? Why is it important anyway?

Think for just a moment, you wouldn’t get too far in life without it. It’s what keeps you focused with your heart and soul, and with both your feet planted in the ground while all working together for a vested interest. That’s right, commitment helps us to take a stand and follow through with an action. It impels us to proceed with certainty towards something in a secure way, causing us to feel more aligned and unified in our direct relationship with that something or someone. Without it, we would flounder creating a sense of uncertainty and insecurity while impeding our perpetual movement forward toward our intended goals.

So, what goes wrong? We overcommit or commit to the wrong things. We commit to things that we can’t potentially fulfill, and we fail to be realistic with what we can and cannot do. We want to do the “right thing” and we don’t like to disappoint people so we promise things that we can’t deliver. Our other commitment foible occurs when we commit prematurely to things before properly investigating them. In other words, you commit to something before learning more about it, in terms of whether it serves you well or not.

When these circumstances frequently occur, we can often go to the other extreme, which is undercommitting or just plain not committing. Here we make a decision, whether consciously or not, that we will not commit to anything because we’re so afraid of our past experience of being either overcommitted or committed to the wrong thing. The good news is that our past doesn’t have to equal our future. By taking a stand and developing healthy commitments you will see the positive results being reflected as you move closer to your desired goals. To develop a better relationship with commitment, practice the following steps:

1. Try something out and test the water by taking baby steps. Try whatever it is slowly. Explore it and ask questions and then wait to see some consistency before committing to it.
2. Before committing, be realistic with your time and priorities. Say “yes” to things that are aligned with your values and priorities and say “no” to things that are not.
3. The most important commitment to honor is the one with yourself. By having this firmly in place, you will feel safe, secure and grounded, and with this solid foundation all things are possible.

Remember this daily affirmation . . . Today, I choose to create healthy commitments.