The dictionary defines commitment as the act of pledging oneself to an idea, cause or action.
To me commitment means “sticking it out”.
Every day we set goals – most of them little but sometimes they are big – or we sign up to do something. It is very important to work at these goals and tasks and keep working on them until they are finished.
Society and our own inner beliefs have given many of us an out that says it’s OK to stop – to quit before you’re done.
I believe this is WRONG.
Quitting is easy.
Once you have tried and quit you find out how easy. It is even easier the second time.
It is so easy that it soon becomes a habit. Look around at everything you want and have started. How many of those things have you finished? How many do you still want to finish?
It takes courage to finish – to stay committed no matter how difficult it becomes…
Now to the good part -
There is no time limit on commitment. Goals don’t have to be achieved overnight. The good feeling of accomplishment can show up by just getting a step closer. Just a little done every day, every week or even every month gets you closer to what you want and what you signed up for in the first place.
And you know what? Achieving a goal and moving forward – staying committed – also becomes a habit.
Those good old fashioned values of character, honesty, integrity, and commitment are still good values to have.
A handshake should still mean something. Your word should still be your bond. Wanting to be your best and live a life you would be proud to share is a good thing.
So commit yourself to working towards your dreams and goals. Don’t settle but instead soar. Take the steps to move forward to fulfillment and happiness and accomplishment.
And above all don’t think you have to be perfect. Everyone makes mistakes. Everyone slips up here and there. Everyone takes a step or two backwards now and again.
The secret is to commit yourself and keep taking those positive steps. You will be amazed at the pride and accomplishment you feel and at the ‘good’ things that start happening in your life.
About Michael Tomberlin
Good points. It took me over two years of fiddling with my home business before I ever really noticed much success. I would have to point out I didn’t invest a lot of time at it but I was consistent with what I did and it gradually paid off.
I had much the same experience. I started my first website really knowing nothing and for probably 6 months the only hits I was getting were from me, my wife and my mom. But I didn’t give up and now I rank on page one for a dozen or so pages and am getting over 300 visits a day and growing each month. So it really can work if you commit to sticking with it. Good luck with your business.
I’d personally have to agree. Quite a few people supposedly fail at things especially stuff like a home or online business. But it’s not so much that they are unsuccessful as they give up. Everyone is expecting to have this magic pill that just fixes everything and does it immediately. It has never been my experience to see something take place or to succeed without dedication and hard work. Even people that seem to be immediate successes aren’t. If you look at what they did to become that instant success you’d probably notice that they actually spent a good deal of time and effort to get where they are. So continue to be determined…
What a joy to find someone else who thikns this way.
Outstanding post over again. Thank you)
That saves me. Thanks for being so senibsle!
It was dark when I woke. This is a ray of sushnine.
Very well, this is really true, you have to finished what you started and do it good.
The author of this article resonates the philosophers have preached for so long. Quitting is as much a habit as any good virtue, except it is so easy that it can become a cancerous custom. I have heard it said that if you practice a something new for 30 days – like something positive or productive which you are tiring to adopt, it becomes a habit. This is advice we should all be aware of so we can manage to avoid the pitfall of acquiring bad or lazy habits. I also recommend those of you who have read this article to also read the author’s other article, Take Action: Quotes and Advice. It’s very inspirational.
How much better can a bird fly or how much smoother can a fish swim? If they had to think about it, they wouldn’t be able to do it. They are only focused on flying or swimming. If you ask an animal what time it is, they would look back at you perplexed. They only know that it’s now. It is only now and here. They are only in flight at the present. Man thinks that they must have goals and things that they need to improve on. The thing that man doesn’t understand is that time is an illusion, and with that illusion, they plan. You can worry about the future, and try to have goals and expectations, but you will only frustrate yourself. You can dwell on the past and it is a waste of time. The past is only your stories that you tell others, and the conclusions you make.
Staying committed to goals or an ideal you believe can sometimes vindicate you if those around you have said you are wasting your time or it is not worth it. That is when commitment can become difficult and when you must believe in yourself. It is easy for self doubt to creep into your mind and if you don’t reaffirm your goals and the reasons why you started on this path in the first place, it can lead to your quitting before you can achieve a major victory, and at a time when accomplishment could be just around the corner.
You have made a good point here. Commitment takes work, if you are committed to anything you have to be willing to work hard to keep it going. This principle is the same in the work place, home business or relationship. And the comment you made about old fashioned values like character, honesty, integrity, etc. needs to be driven home to the young people today that absolutely have no work ethic and they feel if they don’t get their way at their job or in their relationships they can just quit and go on to the next one with no commitments what so ever.
Great post!