Commitment: It separates doers from dreamers (Chap. 3)

Ok, so the next chapter of our book is titled “Commitment: It separates doers from dreamers”.And if I am going to be totally honest, I have been putting off writing about it because I’m facing a commitment challenge right now, and I didn’t want to talk about something that I was struggling with. But I started to think maybe someone out there may be also struggling and maybe, just maybe, this will help me working through if I share with you what’s going with me.

So, I was part of an incredible team that launched a new company called LiveSmart 360. And in true Murphy’s law, everything that could go wrong with the launch seemed to go wrong… we had shipping issues, customer services, IT issues, blah blah blah…. the issues were stacking up, and I know that while my team was getting frustrated, it was starting to affect me as well. I found myself wondering if I was going to stay or go, after all the people I led here trusted ME and I felt that I let them down even though the company was experiencing these ‘issues’.  Being on the fence was causing me a lot of conflict. I needed to make a decision, make a commitment.

He who has done his best for his own time has lived for all times.-Johann von Schiller, Playwright

I started reading this chapter again and fell in love with the story of Michelangelo which Maxwell defines commitment through his painting of the Sistine Chapel. For four grueling years, the artist laid on his back painting the ceiling. The level of his commitment was obvious, including his detail of dark corners where man wouldn’t see and appreciate the fine work. When asked about why did he spend so much time on this particular area, when he could have cut corners because no one could see his painting in the dark corner, Michelangelo replied “God will see”.  I realized the commitment wasn’t to anyone but himself.

I realized that I was fretting about nothing. I WAS committed… to MYSELF, my dream, my vision. I WAS committed to my work, my mission and my purpose.  It is OK for me to feel overwhelmed, it is fine for me to feel frustrated. It isn’t a lack of commitment, it is an exercise to prove my commitment to myself! I will never quit on my dream and today I choose my company as the vehicle to take me there. Yes they had problems, but they are working through them. For today, I’m committed to LiveSmart 360. Wow. What an incredible amount of pressure I released.

Maxwell has these jewels of a definition when asked what is commitment?

• To the boxer, it’s getting off the mat one time more than you’ve been knocked down.
• To the marathoner, it’s running another ten miles when your strength is gone.
• To the soldier, it’s going over the hill, not knowing what’s waiting on the other side.
• To the missionary, it’s saying good-bye to your own comfort to make life better for others.
• To the leader, it’s all that and more because everyone you lead is depending on you.

I was reminded that true commitment inspires and attracts people.

Maxwell says there are only four types of people:

1. Cop-outs. People who have no goals and do not commit.
2. Holdouts. People who don’t know if they can reach their goals, so they’re afraid to commit.
3. Dropouts. People who start toward a goal but quit when the going gets tough.
4. All-outs. People who set goals, commit to them, and pay the price to reach them.

What kind of person are you? Have you been reaching your goals? Are you achieving all that you believe you can? Do people believe in you and follow you readily? If you answer to any of these questions is no, the problem may be your level of commitment.

Here is what you can do to improve your commitment:

• Measure it. Sometimes we think we are committed to something, but our actions indicate otherwise. Take out your calendar and spend a moment going over how you spend your time on what you are committed too. This is a measure of your commitment. You may, (or may not for that matter) be surprised at how much or how little time you really spend on your commitment.
• Know what’s worth dying for. Ask yourself… if it came down to it, what in life would you not be able to stop doing, no matter what the consequences were? Spend some time mediating on this, write down what you discover. See if your actions match your ideals.
• Use the Edison method. What Edison did was have a press conference when he had a good idea for an invention. Then he would go into his lab and invent it. This accountability was a way to increase his commitment.

Normally I would end a blog post when Maxwell’s “take-away” but not today. Today I’m gonna give you my two cents. Commitment to me is something I’m working on. I’m not perfect and would lying if I said I’m so committed on everything I say. Like losing weight. I don’t know how many times I declare, “I’m committed!” and I fail and fall short. I would then beat myself up. I realize now it isn’t dieting I need to work on, it is my commitment, I need to just take more action. I need to feel it in my heart, and I need to tell someone else about it. So when I’m ready to commit, I’ll do those things.

Then there are those things I’m so committed on, I know what Maxwell says is true because I feel it. Like my mission to help thousands of people find freedom with a home based business. I feel it in my heart because I know it works, I have seen it work. I continue to have actions to help others find their freedom, and share with people what I have done, how I have done it and my recommendations.  My blog is my commitment.

I’m committed to my family, my faith, my friends, my work, my business… and it feels great. I will continue to work on my commitment to keep it strong, when I stop working on it, my commitment may get weak. Quitting on my commitment is not an option.

And thanks for indulging in my therapy. Next up, Communication.

Expect success!
Donna

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