The MONTHLY Motivator - August 2011

Make the commitment

There are those who are curious about achieving something great. There are those who are interested. There are those who plan. There are those who dream. There are those who talk about it. There are those who criticize. There are those who look forward to it. There are those who wish. There are those who watch. Then there are those who are totally committed to getting it done, and who demonstrate that commitment every moment with their thoughts and actions.

The difference between excellence and mediocrity is commitment. The path that runs from the dream to the achievement is paved with commitment, every inch of the way. Those who make the commitment, those who give their dreams the power of focused action, are the ones who will achieve their dreams. No matter how worthy, admirable or fiercely desired the goal may be, it takes commitment and action to make it a reality.

Great accomplishments most often result not from exceptional ability, but from ordinary ability followed through with exceptional commitment. Commitment can elevate even the most ordinary, tedious efforts into truly incredible levels of achievement.

What you’re able to do doesn’t really matter much unless you actually do it. It is in the doing, the commitment, the effort undertaken with persistence, that greatness results. You can dream about success, hope for it, make the best of plans, talking about them with zeal and enthusiasm. Follow through with real, sustained action, and that success will come. The life you experience today is the result of what you’ve been truly committed to in the past. Your commitments, whatever they may have been, have manifest themselves into your current reality. You’re always committed to something, whether it is watching four hours of television each night or running eight miles each morning. Your true commitments are evidenced by your actions.

Taking action without being totally committed to it can be worse than taking no action at all. Because when you have any level of resistance to what you’re doing, you’re simply not going to be very effective at it, and the effort will be largely wasted. Always keep in mind that you can decide to do it or you can decide not to do it. But it is vitally important to make one decision or the other, and then to follow it with your full commitment. To make progress, you must have yourself on your own side. You won’t get very far if you have to work against your own resistance and resentment. If you’re going to do it, commit yourself to it. Commitment is a decision you can make for yourself, regardless of the circumstances, regardless of whose idea it was originally. Commitment is the act of sincerely putting your heart into what you’re doing. If you have no interest in being committed, then why would you have any reason to go through the motions? Rather than fighting against your own resistance, be supported by your own commitment. That will often make the crucial difference between success and failure.

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--Ralph Marston

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