Scan the bookshelves for titles on relationships and you\u2019ll quickly discover a trend: numerous titles tackle the issues around lack of commitment.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not just personal relationships that are feeling the fallout from this wishy-washy approach, however. Hordes of people refuse to commit to anything much at all.<\/p>\n
Does the idea of commitment make you tremble? A commitment is, after all, a pledge to do what we said we were going to do. It\u2019s actually a way of volunteering to be accountable.<\/p>\n
Those who avoid making such a pledge to themselves have no idea that they\u2019re cheating themselves of some of the biggest rewards in life.<\/p>\n
<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n If getting a dream is step one, committing to that dream is the next thing that needs to happen. Commitment doesn\u2019t mean trying something for a while to see how it turns out; it means being actively involved in how things turn out.<\/p>\n Obviously, not everything we attempt turns out according to our plans\u2014but that\u2019s not the function of commitment. Being committed is about going in for the long haul, not simply for one little project.<\/p>\n When I was cleaning out some back issues of Winning Ways<\/em>, I came across this story from travel writer Pico Iyer that is a testimonial to the power of commitment:<\/p>\n <\/em><\/p>\n Part of me really wanted to write and I suppose wanted to travel too, but I couldn\u2019t find a way to do it. Finally, I decided I\u2019ve just got to commit myself to this.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/em><\/p>\n If I\u2019m going to be a writer, I\u2019ve got to haul myself into the unknown, be unemployed and try to make it work.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/em><\/p>\n When I finally decided to commit myself to it, instead of just wavering, then suddenly opportunity came out of nowhere.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/em><\/p>\n I think that if I hadn\u2019t had the resolve to take the plunge at last into the unknown, I might never have been rescued in midair.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/em><\/p>\n I think the whole process of traveling is about pitching yourself into a circumstance in which you don\u2019t know how things are going to work out, but that initial act of faith can bring about good results.<\/em><\/p>\n Commitment, it seems to me, is a lot like love. It grows and strengthens over time when we\u2019re truly committed to something that we care deeply about.<\/p>\n We don\u2019t always know at the outset what will become commitment-worthy. What may begin as a simple flirtation, becomes more compelling as we learn more, increase our exposure and devote our energy to it.<\/p>\n For many of us, we\u2019ve tried to make commitments to things and people and ideas that we really weren\u2019t that crazy about. It\u2019s hard to get past lukewarm if our heart isn\u2019t engaged.<\/p>\n No wonder the word commitment elicits feelings of dread and drudgery. And if we\u2019re only willing to commit where the outcome fits our preconceived notions, we\u2019re doomed to a life of commitment avoidance.<\/p>\n Seems to me that commitment needs a new press agent and here\u2019s what they might advise:<\/p>\n Give up ambivalent commitment.<\/p>\n That\u2019s probably an oxymoron, but there are plenty who think they\u2019re committed when they\u2019re not even close.\u00a0 Genuine commitment says, \u201cThis is what I\u2019m going to do and keep doing until I succeed.\u201d<\/p>\n Sound like it’s too much trouble?<\/p>\n \u201cThose who would reap the blessings of freedom,\u201d warned Thomas Paine,\u201dmust be willing to undergo the fatigue of supporting it.\u201d<\/p>\n It’s still true.<\/p>\n \n \n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Scan the bookshelves for titles on relationships and you\u2019ll quickly discover a trend: numerous titles tackle the issues around lack of commitment. It\u2019s not just personal relationships that are feeling the fallout from this wishy-washy approach, however. Hordes of people refuse to commit to anything much at all. Does the idea of commitment make you…<\/p>\n