Maintaining Commitment for Positive Outcomes

Last time I discussed commitment, and suggested that you need to examine your life so that you are aware of exactly what it is that you are committed to.  Habits are simply examples of commitments that have been built up over a period of time.  If there are habits in your life that are doing you harm, then you need to lose any commitment that you have for these habits and replace them with more useful ones.  You need to maintain a commitment to taking action that will benefit you.  I have been described in the past as 'my own worst enemy.'  but fortunately those days are for the most part behind me.  I have been able to release myself from the need to use tobacco and alcohol as a means of escape or a consolation for not doing the things that I know full well I should.  I am no longer committed to these habits. I very rarely think about them.  I find that I don't think of smoking and drinking as desirable any more.  I am usually thinking about other things.
'Bully for you,' you might say, but the thing is that if you are thinking about your life in a positive way, then you will probably be spending time on things that are to your benefit and not to your detriment.  One way to decide what is to your benefit is to think in the longer term.  Teenagers generally demand instant gratification, but what if the search for short term gains leads to long term damage.  At one time in my life I would have been looking for the next 'hit' or sensual gratification.  Result: Nicotine addiction and excessive alcohol consumption.  Not good ideas in the long term.  Fortunately for me those days do not appear to have had any lasting effect on my general health, and by replacing smoking with healthy exercise I have eliminated asthma attacks that used to give me problems.  Can you identify any activities or outcomes that will benefit you in the long term?  Here are some of mine:

• Exercise
• Abundance
• Laughter
• Wealth Creation
• Partnerships
• Creative effort

Once you have found a way to look  past immediate gratification you will find that  you can live more fully and more consciously in the present moment.  This is because you will be more in touch with actions and sensations that will be good for you.  Knowing that you are consciously taking actions to help yourself can be a motivator  in itself.  It can be difficult at times to maintain commitment over a period of time and to continue to make progress.  Here are some ideas for maintaining a high level of commitment in the face of obstacles:

•  Make a list of all the positive benefits of the action you have decided to commit to.  Keep the list in a pocket and regularly read it to yourself three times a day.
• Reward yourself for effort:  when you have succeeded in making an effort that has proved difficult do something that you enjoy, that way you will associate even more pleasure with the activity
• Make a plan of action with time scales and check regularly how  you are progressing.  Don't beat yourself up if progress is slow, just make sure that you are aware of the positive benefits of keeping going.
• When you are looking for something to commit to make sure that you are committing to something you enjoy, not something that will involve you in taking action you positively hate.  If you decide to commit to exercise,for example,  then try to find activities that give you pleasure in themselves.  It's far easier to commit to things you love.
• If you are committing to making changes always make sure that you think of  them in the positive e.g.' I am a healthy non smoker', rather than 'I am giving up smoking'
• Clearly if you make good choices there will be a benefit for you in the future.  Imagine how it will be for you when you have achieved the outcome your commitment will lead to.  Imagine how good you will feel. 

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