What is Your Commitment?
This year, my husband and I are doing one new thing every week. We have a jar on our counter and every Sunday we pull out a new slip of paper which has a “new thing to do” written on it. This week we pulled: Plan a new trip somewhere. We groaned because we’ve already planned our trip to Kenya in May (yes, I am going back!!) and our vacation to Maine in June. It would have been easy for us to just count one of those as planning a new trip. Yet we both agreed we needed to still plan a new trip. After a bit more discussion and brainstorming, we realized we had marked out this Saturday as a “day of fun” on our calendar. So, we decided that we would take a “new trip” on Saturday. Long story short: we’re taking a day trip to Evansville … plans still unfolding.
Why did we give that little slip of paper so much emphasis? Why were we willing to take the extra effort to do what it was asking us to do?
Commitment.
For some of us, setting a goal is fairly easy. It’s the commitment to the goal which gets us in trouble.
The Forbes Health/OnePoll survey found the average New Year’s resolution lasts just 3.74 months. Only 8% of respondents tend to stick with their goals for one month, while 22% last two months, 22% last three months and 13% last four months.
It may not be a New Year’s resolution. It’s any goal you set … for the year, the quarter, this month, this week or today? When I coach, I help my coachee set a goal for the session. It may sound like, “By the end of this session, I want to know my next step in this situation.” It also may be tied to a longer-term goal like, “This year, I want to grow in courage.”
Commitment drives your engagement in the process of reaching a goal. People who are committed take action and work toward their goals. We are an active participant in the goal. It’s not viewed from the lens of I must, ought to, or should do this. Commitment is about being actively involved and engaged in one’s activities and the surrounding world.
Take time to consider three levels in which you interact with the world.
The physical world and environment around you. This includes where you live and work and all your day-to-day activities.
The people around you. This includes all the people you know and interact with.
Yourself. This includes how you see and think about your own self.
As you examine these three levels, what stands out? Is there a level that you don’t feel as confident about or as engaged in? This can affect your overall commitment to what you believe is important in your life or your willingness to pursue your goals. Taking time for self-reflection and your willingness to be honest with yourself about what is really happening, can help you identify what is hindering your commitment. You might be surprised about what is holding you back. Yet, when you identify it, it’s a lot easier to overcome it and strengthen your commitment.
Strengthening your commitment enables you to withstand greater obstacles. Each successful encounter with a difficult situation helps grow your grit, hardiness, and resilience.