“Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favour all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his way. I have learned a deep respect for one of Goethe’s couplets:
Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it.
Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it!”― William Hutchison Murray
Most of us set new year resolutions every 365 days, but we start faltering from February/March; the missing piece is the commitment to follow through. We all want the prize, but we do not love the process; we are unwilling to pay the price, but we want the joy of winning the prize. Anything worth doing takes a lot of time, grit, sacrifice, whatever-it-takes-attitude, and the ability to want it more than you want to breathe.
Commitment is the ability to stick with something long after the initial excitement is gone. Commitment is a decision to stick with a project, idea, relationship, or goal against all odds, failure, and tribulation. Setting a goal is not enough, you have to be committed to making it happen against all odds.
In the early 1960s, President John F. Kennedy set a great goal to land a man on the moon when he said: “This nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon. The most important word in that statement is the Commitment to achieve a goal.
The difference between involvement and commitment is like ham and eggs. The chicken is involved; the pig is committed.
There is a business fable about the chicken and the pig which is a metaphor for commitment to a project or cause.:
When producing a dish made of eggs with ham or bacon, the pig provides the ham or bacon which requires his or her sacrifice and the chicken provides the eggs which are not difficult to produce. Thus the pig is really committed to that dish while the chicken is only involved, yet both are needed to produce the dish.
Here are some great quotes on commitment;
- “Unless commitment is made, there are only promises and hopes… but no plans.” – Peter F. Drucker
- “There’s a difference between interest and commitment. When you’re interested in doing something, you do it only when circumstance permit. When you’re committed to something, you accept no excuses, only results.” – Art Turock
- “Productivity is never an accident. It is always the result of a commitment to excellence, intelligent planning, and focused effort.” – Paul J. Meyer
- “It was character that got us out of bed, commitment that moved us into action, and discipline that enabled us to follow through.” – Zig Ziglar
- “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” – Margaret Mead
6. “The quality of a person’s life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor.” – Vince Lombardi
7. “Anyone can dabble, but once you’ve made that commitment, your blood has that particular thing in it, and it’s very hard for people to stop you.” – Bill Cosby
8. “Losers make promises they often break. Winners make commitments they always keep.”- Denis Waitley
9. “There are only two options regarding commitment. You’re either IN or you’re OUT. There is no such thing as life in― between.” – Pat Riley
10. “Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness.” – William Hutchison Murray
11. “If you make the unconditional commitment to reach your most important goals, if the strength of your decision is sufficient, you will find the way and the power to achieve your goals.” – Robert Conklin
12. “The men who have succeeded are men who have chosen one line and stuck to it.”- Andrew Carnegie
13. “Commitment is the enemy of resistance, for it is the serious promise to press on, to get up, no matter how many times you are knocked down.” –David McNally
14. “Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration. Accordingly, a genius is often merely a talented person who has done all of his or her homework.”-Thomas Edison
15. “There’s no scarcity of opportunity to make a living at what you love. There is only a scarcity of resolve to make it happen.” – Wayne Dyer
16. “People often fail to make lasting changes because they don’t commit to one path long enough to see results.” – MK Mueller
17. “If you can’t value a commitment made by someone else, your own commitments lose their value too.” – Ram Mohan
18.”Commitment is an act, not a word.” – Jean-Paul Sartre
19. “Commitment means that it is possible for a man to yield the nerve center of his consent to a purpose or cause, a movement or an ideal, which may be more important to him than whether he lives or dies.”- Howard Thurman
20. “The kind of commitment I find among the best performers across virtually every field is a single-minded passion for what they do, an unwavering desire for excellence in the way they think and the way they work. Genuine confidence is what launches you out of bed in the morning, and through your day with a spring in your step.”- James C. Collins
21. Commitment is the enemy of resistance, for it is the serious promise to press on, to get up, no matter how many times you are knocked down.- David McNally
22. “The greatest things in life all require commitment, sacrifice, some struggle and hardship. It’s not easy. But absolutely worth it.”- Robin S. Sharma
23. “Integrity is keeping a commitment even after circumstances have changed.”- David Jeremiah
24. “You have to be un-compromised in your level of commitment to whatever you are doing, or it can disappear as fast as it appeared. Commitment cannot be compromised by rewards.” – Michael Jordan
25. “The level of success you achieve will be in direct proportion to the depth of your commitment. “- Roy T. Bennett
26. “Desire is the key to motivation, but it’s determination and commitment to an unrelenting pursuit of your goal – a commitment to excellence – that will enable you to attain the success you seek.” – Mario Andretti
27. “The biggest commitment you must keep is your commitment to yourself.”- Neale Donald Walsch
28. “Without commitment, you cannot have depth in anything, whether it’s a relationship, a business or a hobby.”~ Neil Strauss
29. “In order to ‘hold fast’ to something, one must allow oneself to be held to something. That commitment may be one of the hardest things to practice in a world of so much choice.”- Sheena Iyengar
30. “Commitment: It’s the little choices everyday that lead to the final results we’re striving for.”
All the best in your quest to get better. Don’t Settle: Live with Passion.
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