Commitment vs. Interest

Talk is cheap, especially when your paycheck is at stake. In my years of professional selling I have found that there are two types of people: those that do and those that talk. Those that DO…do. Those that TALK…don’t. We all have dreams, aspirations, and desires in life and for most people, unfortunately, that’s how they remain. You’ve probably heard the question, “What would you do if you knew you could not fail?” more times than you’d like. SO WHAT'S HOLDING YOU BACK FROM BEING WHERE YOU WANT TO BE? A good answer is ACTION, but a better answer is COMMITMENT.
Action is the engine that drives your achievement machine, while commitment is the fuel that feeds the engine. If I were to ask what you are committed to in your life right now, you might be able to tell me what you are interested in, but not necessarily committed to. Tony Robbins says, “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.” I define commitment as honoring your word by doing what you said you would do by the time you said you would do it. Think about it. What would your life be like if it were driven by commitment? Here's a sneak peak:

1) Decisions become easy. Life begins to appear more as a series of choices rather than a symptom of circumstances. My friend and mentor J-Brad Britton once said that there are only 2 answers to any goal related decision: YES or NO. Yes, I will do what I must to follow through on my commitment, or NO, because…(insert any excuse here). Everyone has setbacks which come up and certain priorities that conflict with each other. The reality is that most of us use those things to excuse us from fully taking responsibility for our results. Humans are unique individuals in that we can reason our way in to or out of anything. Reasons are driven by fear. Fear is an emotion to keep us safe, but it is also an emotion that paralyzes us when we know we should act. There are no guarantee's in life, but when you're committed to honoring your word you cut out the possibility of reasoning with your feelings.

2) You become courageous. Fear is what drives people most of the time, but it isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The fear of death keeps us from walking in the middle of the street, while the fear of failure keeps us from venturing out, taking risks, and achieving our goals. This is an inauthentic fear. Living a life that is commitment centered requires that we follow through on what we said we would do even when (or especially when) it requires us to be uncomfortable. Look at your greatest fears about failure and imagine what this year could look like, not if those fears didn’t exist, but if you took on the challenge of overcoming those fears.

3) Your growth becomes exponential. Have you ever looked at individuals who have achieved major success and wonder how they got there? Unless you look up to those who won the lottery, tremendously successful people don’t get where they are over night. I remember hearing someone say, “Success occurs from simple decisions, and simple disciplines practiced every single day.” Each success builds upon itself and at the end of every success is a greater opportunity. Before you fly off the handle about having your best year ever, consider having your best campaign, your best month, your best week, and your best day. If you can learn to stay focused and stay committed to those tasks, you can’t but have your best year ever. So, make tomorrow count. Cheers to your 2009.

Committed to your Success,
John “Izzy” Israel
www.johnizzy.com