Take Charge Get Results - MAKING A COMMITMENT

Chapter 7

MAKING A COMMITMENT

“The key to making a strong and lasting commitment is to take the option of quitting off the table.”

Unlike intent, which is the decision to take action, commitment is the decision to continue taking action until your vision is realized – until what you intend to create is completed. Your commitment is what keeps you from giving up. If you have a vision for your life, business or organization, and have established a deep desire, created inspiring ideas, have a sense of purpose, a strong intention, set goals, believe in the possibility of your success and are motivated, the only thing left to do is make a commitment to see it through. You might be thinking, “Oh yes, I’m committed”, but if your strategic plan ends with the words, “…and if this doesn’t work I can do something else”, then you are not truly committed.

There will be a Test

At some point in everyone’s life they will encounter a problem that appears to be unsolvable, or one of such gravity that it would seem all is lost; one that will leave them with an overwhelming sense of hopelessness and despair. In times like these a person’s commitment is tested, and whether they pass or fail, when the test is over, they will know the true meaning of commitment.

They will understand how their commitment or lack thereof contributed to their success or failure. This may have already happened in your life. You may have been on the passing side or the failing side of the test, or maybe you have yet to be tested. In any case, when you work toward the realization of your dreams, the bigger the vision, the harder your test is bound to be; and believe me, you will be tested.

The good news is that by deepening your understanding of commitment today,you can pass the tests you will face tomorrow; thus allowing you to find solutions and overcome obstacles, so you can effectively stay your course.

Take quitting, off the Table

The key to making a strong and lasting commitment is to take the option of quitting off the table. When you are faced with obstacles and looking for solutions to overcome them, you will end up with several options to choose from. For most people, giving up is always an option (they won’t admit that, but it’s true. The bottom line: people frequently exercise the option to quit). It’s better to just take the option of quitting off the table.

About ten years into my marriage, my wife and I were having real trouble. Actually, trouble is an understatement! Even the marriage counselor told me our situation was hopeless, and she recommended we get divorced.

Feeling there was no other choice, I filed for divorce. It was the worst time of my life. My failing business didn’t seem very important compared to the prospect of losing my family, and there didn’t seem to be anything I could do to save either one. I had almost completely given up (about ready to fail my commitment test) when my mother gave me a little advice; a few simple, but powerful words that not only saved my marriage, but had a major impact on all areas of my life. My mother told me how at one point, in her marriage of forty years, my father and she were arguing frequently. The subject of divorce came up often, until it seemed they couldn’t have a disagreement without mentioning divorce. I asked her how they overcame the problem, and her answer was simple. She told me that both of them knew they did not want a divorce. They loved each other and desired to stay together, so they decided to stop throwing divorce on the table as an option. Once they stopped considering divorce as an option they had no other choice but to find ways to get along and find solutions to their problems.

My wife and I followed my mother’s advice to take divorce off the table as an option, and it has made all the difference in our marriage. It has been more than ten years since we reconciled our differences, and as I write this, our 20th Wedding Anniversary is only one month away. Sure, we’ve had our share of arguments along the way, but we’ve worked through them together and found solutions that worked. Quitting was no longer an option.

In my business I have applied this same understanding of commitment, and the results have been amazing. The turning point in the success of my business was made the day I took quitting off my table as an option. I scribbled out the last line of my plan that said, “…and if this doesn’t work I can do something else.” I no longer considered finding a different job, selling the business, or filing for bankruptcy as possible solutions to my business woes. Instead of spending valuable time and energy on new exit strategies, I began to focus that energy on the development of new and innovative ways to succeed. As a result, I began to find solutions and grow the business.

Today when I encounter problems, quitting is no longer an option. I only consider options that bring me closer to the realization of my vision. When working with clients, I encourage them to do the same. For those of them who have embraced the concept, the results have been life changing.

MOVING FORWARD

If you haven’t done so yet, get a clear picture of your vision and write it down. Write down the goals that support the fulfillment of your vision and the tasks that support the achievement of your goals. Tap into your “genius within” to create inspiring ideas that strengthen your belief in the possibility of success in your life, and fill your “motivation tanks”. Plan to sustain your motivation by staying focused on your vision, reminding yourself of past success, and remembering that if another person can do it, so can you. Finally, take the option of quitting off your table, and make a commitment worthy of your vision.

George J. Morse
Email: george@coachmorse.com
http://www.coachmorse.com