Thursday, August 25, 20

Commitment….

Yesterday, I blogged about how I, like most, struggle to amend parts of my character that I find unacceptable.  A reader commented that she found the whole concept of identifying things that needed to be changed and then working on them interesting.  That she didn’t believe that she’d have the required commitment.

Hmmm….

I suppose, that for me, commitment factors into all that I do.  I don’t believe I’m alone in this.  Couples commit to one another and their relationship.  Parents commit to doing the hundred and one things their children require of them.  Educators commit to teaching a new generation.  Athletes commit to pushing their bodies beyond the physical limits most would endure.  Artists commit to enlightening the world through their craft.   

Whether we are actively aware or not, commitment is something we partake in each and every day.  True, some may take that to an elevated level, but most commit to at least something daily.  Course, that something could be as simple as getting out of bed in the morning.  At the other end of the scale, there are those who commit to revolutionizing the perceptions of others while making the world a better place. 

Not sure about where those who read my blogs fall, but I know I fall somewhere in the middle of that scale.  I’m okay with that.  I feel no driving urge to “fix” the world.  Heavens knows, that’s an overwhelming task.  But I do admit to gaining pleasure out of sharing my perceptions with others in an attempt to make them think outside the box.  View the world with a little more positive energy.  Embrace taking a hard look at one’s self and seeing where there’s room for improvement.  For me, commitment factors into this.

If I weren’t committed to my cause, then there would be no way I’d be able to get a third of the blogs written that I do.  Some of those are scribed in the wee hours of the night after horrendously long days where all I really want to do is lay my head on my pillow and fall fast asleep.  But I don’t.  Long ago, I made a commitment to write a daily blog, and I endeavor to do so to the best of my ability.

Guess the same could be said for my willingness and drive to self-improve.  There’s no doubt that the firm foundation my drive is built upon is one forged of commitment.  So how do I manage when others believe it’s improbable to have such commitment?  Easy.  I don’t give myself an easy way out.  When I set my goals, I don’t do so with the mindset of I’d like to do this or it would be nice if I could accomplish that.  As far as I’m concerned, that’s a defeatist attitude that sets me up for failure even before I begin.  So instead, I go about things, thinking I will do this and it will be nice when I accomplish that.

The dictionary defines commitment as an act of pledging or setting aside something.  I embrace that description.  A pledge is a solemn promise or undertaking, leaving no wiggle room for easy outs.  And so, when I commit to something, I maintain that I’m making a solemn promise to accomplish my task to the best of my ability.  Do I always succeed?  No.  Is that okay?  Sure.  I’m human.  Life sometimes gets in the way of my ambitions coming to fruition.  But that doesn’t me I’m not committed or that I don’t try my hardest, only that there are times, the ones when I fall short, when I’m taught valuable lessons that I can apply to my next commitment.