Commitment Can Get You Results

For some time now I have been thinking about how to finalise work I have been doing on a training programme I have been developing.  Throughout the work the programme has been difficult to develop for a number of reasons.  There have been delays, political discussions, negotiations and at times a lack of clarity regarding outcomes.  It would have been easy for me to walk away from this.  I am delighted to say that the programme is finished and will be distributed nationally, and endorsed by government.  The reason that I have continued throughout all the ups and downs has been a firm commitment to see the finished article, and now it is coming together.
                        The pattern in all this is a familiar one known to many successful people.  It is one of  overcoming difficulties and continuing to work on a project in the face of obstacles.  This is commitment.  It is often difficult to achieve your goals without it.  Having a firm commitment gives you an edge and also elevates a project or relationship or plan to a high level of importance.  When something is important then people are prepared to spend time and effort to ensure completion; to ensure success.  Sometimes people are committed to an idea or a cause without even being aware of the level of commitment that they are exhibiting.  Think of JK Rowling, sitting in an Edinburgh Cafe writing Harry Potter as an unknown writer.  She had been writing since childhood without ever being published.  Did she think of herself from the outset as a committed writer?  I don't know but to me it seems that that is exactly what she was.  Maybe you are committed to something already and you don't realise it, or maybe you are unaware of the importance of making a commitment.  Maybe you are frightened of making a commitment, but one thing is certain, and that is that if you have a plan or goal you may need to be committed to bring it to fruition.  How do you know that you are  committed to an activity, project or relationship?  Here are some indications:  

• You are regularly spending time on it
• You continually returning to it
• It is often in your thoughts
• You spend time on it despite yourself
• You are prepared to sacrifice to engage with it
• It fits in with your ideology or self image
• It's likely to be long term unless you have identified a specific time scale.

Some examples of commitments that people make that are not life enhancing are smoking, overeating, binge drinking, self castigation, blaming others rather than taking responsibility for their own mistakes etc etc.  I'm sure that if you think carefully you can identify something like that.  I know that I am committed to procrastination at times without even thinking about it.  When you look at commitment like this its important to be aware of what it is you are committed to. Choose your commitments wisely.  If you commit to the wrong things then you may get an undesired outcome. A commitment to smoking may result in cancer.  Commitment will certainly get results, and if you choose the wrong path you may get results you don't particularly like.  Here are some guidelines for managing commitment:

• Be aware of what you are already committed to.  You can do this by examining your behaviour in relation to the checklist above.
• Decide to release yourself from any commitments likely to lead to an undesirable outcome
• Decide to make new commitments to those activities that will benefit you
• Make sure that you reinforce your desire to maintain your new commitment by keeping it in mind.

In my next posting I will be discussing  how to continue to motivate yourself to maintain a high level of commitment and to motivate yourself to get positive outcomes.  If you want to discuss this or any of my other postings you can email me from this site.

Choose the best - contact Jim Masson Crooks