Monday, July 19, 2010

The Personal Strength of Commitment - Do You Have the Resolve to Follow Through?

Once upon a time, there was a wise woman who had a lot of experience and a lot of wisdom about something she cared about. She felt that she had something important to say that many people would benefit from. She had excellent writing skills, so she set a goal to write a book about the topic of her passionate interest.

Two years later she had a lot of notes, but not a single chapter. The task of sitting down to write two or three pages a day proved to be unexpectedly difficult. She would write a paragraph or two, lose her way, then give up for the day.

One day, she was browsing in a bookstore and came across a book on her topic. Apparently, someone else had similar ideas, did the writing and found a publisher.

She felt a pang of regret. She thought, "Well, someone else has beaten me to the punch. Maybe it's bad timing for me."

And so she gave up on the project.

There will come a time when you want to take on a tough challenge. Your willingness to make a commitment to follow through will prove whether you have the strength to succeed.

It‘s possible to jump into something without fully understanding the resolve and dedication it will take to achieve your goal, whether it‘s pursuing a degree, starting a new job, getting married, or even joining a weight loss program. It can be hard to anticipate the rough spots. Or you may not have thought it through, and you have an unrealistic view of what to expect.

The solution is to get involved with your eyes open. Find out what your goal will require of you. Recognize that you may have to give up time, effort, freedom and other resources along the way. You may have to work through unexpected frustrations. Most worthwhile endeavors have a heavy price.

Then decide if you want to make that kind of commitment.

Anytime you undertake a worthy goal, chances are it will be rough going — roadblocks, conflicts and even criticism. At such times you may wonder if it‘s worth sticking with what you set out to do.

Just remember, you can do the hard things. Once you resolve to achieve your dream and dedicate yourself to making it happen, don‘t let anyone or anything prevent you from bringing it into reality.

Listen to what these people said about making a commitment...

"Only one who devotes himself to a cause with his whole strength and soul can be a true master. For this reason mastery demands all of a person." - Albert Einstein, American physicist (1879-1955) 

"Honor your commitments with integrity." - Les Brown, American author (1945- )
 

There's always a way - if you're committed." - Anthony Robbins, American author (1960- )
 

"If you do not make a total commitment to whatever you are doing, then you start looking to bail out the first time the boat starts leaking." - Lou Holtz, American college football coach (1937- )
 

"I know the price of success: dedication, hard work, and an unremitting devotion to the things you want to see happen." - Frank Lloyd Wright, American architect (1869-1959)
 

"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, American author (1940- )
 

"The commitments we make to ourselves and to others, and our integrity to those commitments, is the essence and clearest manifestation of our proactivity." - Stephen Covey, American author (1932- )
 

"Whatever I have tried to do in life, I have tried with all my heart to do it well; whatever I have devoted myself to, I have devoted myself to it completely." - Charles Dickens, British novelist (1812-1879)
 

"There are only two options regarding commitment. You're either in or out. There's no such thing as a life in-between." - Pat Riley, American professional basketball coach (1945- )
 

"Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness." - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, German poet (1749-1832)

Put it all on the line, and you’ll be amazed at what you accomplish. 

Post by Dennis E. Coates, Ph.D., Copyright 2010. Building Personal Strength .

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