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Mindset

12 Lessons on Rock-Solid Commitment (Part 2)

A few weeks ago, I asked my tribe to share the lessons they learned about commitment. (Read the original email here.)

Or how they made an unwavering commitment in their life… no matter what was going on in their life, health, family, the economy or the world.

I want to share their answers with you.

If you’ve ever struggled with procrastination, taking action or getting what you want, take 5 minutes to read this now.

It just may the fuel you need to propel your rocket ship to the stars… 🙂

WikiImages

From Eleanor Hannah:

Last year I was getting assistance with post traumatic stress. Like for many people with PTS the levels varied from day to day and were influenced by what else was happening.

I made a commitment to myself to everyday get out of bed, have shower and dressed and be ready to go out by 8am every morning regardless of whether I needed to or not. So even if not working that day or kids not at school.

Some days that felt impossible. Just doing this task every day reminded me that I can always do something and if you are willing to push yourself you can do things which you previously thought you couldn’t.

I am now working more and have written my first book.

Trine Jensen:

Commitment start with filling my own cup first daily and when I do that everything seems to flow so much better.

For me filling my cup first looks like doing daily rituals first thing in the morning before everyone else’s needs and wants encroach my time …

Sort of like the airplane oxygen mask thing I put mine on first and then I can be of service to everyone else

So I do rituals every morning that connect me to a much greater source and from that place I have more energy and clarity to go forward…

Paul Spiers:

At the age of 39 I had a heart attack. Prior to that I had been a 30 a day smoker since my early teens. I had tried to give up smoking a few times with varying degrees of success, for a couple of days to a couple of years. But I know that I will never smoke again.

What was different this time?

Not the heart attack as most people would think, well not directly anyway.

While waiting for the ambulance to arrive my two daughters who were in their early teens were sat with me, crying, thinking I was going to die. I will never forget the look on my eldest daughter face, and every time i craved a cigarette I reminded myself of that look. I couldn’t put them through that again and I have never smoked since.

Dawn Dwyer:

Commitment is about CHOICE. The END GOAL is worth more to you. So it is easy to be committed and making choices that keep you there.

With your business there may be something that you are not excited about that being super successful would create for you… it could be too many hours working if I’m successful. I think that would be my issue… wanting my freedom more. I have had 2 very successful businesses but I worked ridiculous hours. I want to have fun and freedom now, I want to play.

So to commit to your business, you must find out what is making you NOT commit ie. making the CHOICE not to commit. Because it is always about the “CHOICE”.

Kim Christiansen:

I learned that by asking yourself “Why am I so successful?”  Your subconscious seeks answers and if you stay aware, you will see “sign posts.”  Also, clearly visualizing yourself in the success. Aids in your “arrival.”

Sean Stewart:

I both agree that the power of FULL commitment is incredible in what becomes possible from it. And I find that when I get super militant on myself I go into a tailspin so it’s a very 2 sided issue for me. Especially as a coach, dealing with the fact that 1) I am strict on accountability with my clients AND 2) if I’m out of integrity in my life it affects my power to hold them accountable.

Steven Lake:

According to the dictionary there are two meaning that have opposite connotations.

One, commitment is the state or quality of being dedicated to a cause, or activity and synonyms include, dedication, allegiance, and loyalty.

Two, commitment is an engagement or obligation that restricts freedom of action with synonyms like responsibility, tie, obligation, and duty.

Even the definition is conflicted.

David Hickey:

Your WHY is bigger than your COMMITMENT. It Drives that Commitment, How do you ……..make a change, build a business, run a seminar, find that person to love, find unconditional love within yourself. When you commit unleash the WHY…

Mari DeZago:

This is a great topic – commitment that propels you to accomplish what you said you were going to do.

Seems like the first three days are the toughest.  Your brain has to realize you are serious. Then something else kicks in, especially if you have a timeframe I think (the 10 day, the 19 day).

Maybe it’s at the beginning of the halfway point- and you realize that you are getting closer to actually completing something difficult- and you are probably in a small % of people in the WORLD who can do this…and you are going to feel amazing when you complete this…and this is not just for your body, it’s for your brain and all of those non-productive messages you continue to hear all day. AND you’ll have a great story to tell—and a few blogs to write…

And at a certain point this may kick in: The pleasure of keeping your commitment to yourself is greater than the pain- and embarrassment- of quitting.

And that’s when it becomes easier to say no to every temptation that wafts all around you. (Why are friends not supportive, by the way?)

Edwin S.:

I did a job for more than 25 years, which I did because I needed to pay the bills and because I thought that working was just part of life.

Although I always did what I thought was expected of me, in my early forties, I ended up in a rather severe life crisis.

At one point I became so desperate that I found myself with only two options left: To either quit life or else to change my life completely.

Fortunately, I still had the courage left to choose the latter.

And so, I had a complete 180-degree career change, from being a construction contractor, to becoming a web entrepreneur, and this career change transformed my life completely.

Find your passion, just find your TRUE passion.

And remember that this can be anything! From reading to taking pictures of trains, to designing clothing, to traveling, to becoming an astronaut. Anything works as long as your heart and soul are in it!

Then you need to figure out, how to monetize this. Often this boils down to simply sharing your skills and experiences. Start blogging about what it is you do.

Find an audience and monetize this.

Don’t like blogging, there’s plenty of people out there who will do the actual blogging for you for next to nothing, or you can even enter a joint venture, just be creative.

And once you have figured that out, set your target, and go for it, by any highway and byway you come across. Do what you do, connect with your audience, grow and make a living (or even get rich) out of the process.

What you need to keep in mind here is the fact that, there is no amount of willpower, no effort of self-discipline,  that can beat the drive and the motivation you will get out of doing what you do from your heart.

Sure there will be bad days, it rains shit everywhere once in awhile, but if you can do what you truly love, each and every day, then there is no need to convince yourself that you NEED to get working.

Simply because you will have the feeling that you are not working. You’re just doing what you love to do!

Sanjida Shaheed:

Keeping commitments to my business is easy when the why part is clear. Like, WHY am I doing this? WHY is it that I can’t NOT do this?

I must admit, when I am emotionally at a low I lose touch with my grit. I just give in to the temptation to leave everything and literally hide myself under the blanket.

So, I would say, having a clear why, high emotional energy and the resilience needed to spring back to action when something does happen helps me take action consistently.

And Neil Shurley:

 I think a slice of cherry pie can be pretty darned motivating. Especially if I also commit to a cup of hot black coffee on the side!

Huge thanks to everyone who took the time to write to us.

If you have your own personal secrets to share on commitment, please post them in the comments below. I’d love to learn from you too…

I’ll be following up later this week with my own thoughts about what it takes to create rock-solid commitment.

Love it? Hate it? Let me know...

  1. Mary Campagna Avatar
    Mary Campagna

    Excellent learning here. Thank You to EVERYONE who provided insight & wisdom from their own lives! What spoke to me was the actual definition of Commitment! Who knew? “obligation that restricts freedom of action”! WOW. SOOOOO…I did a little investigating to claim a different word for Commitment and….here it is..PLEGE…”a solemn promise or undertaking” and so…”I pledge to continue the steps necessary to create my business that is having a beautiful impact on this everchanging earth” :Ohhhhhhh YES!

    1. Marisa Murgatroyd Avatar
      Marisa Murgatroyd

      I love this new definition you crafted. Thanks so much for sharing! 🙂

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