Committed
I’ve been thinking a lot this week about commitment.
There are some things in my life that I am 💯 committed to doing, and others things that I just seem to be interested in.
For example, I am interested in eating a healthy diet. I want to be that person who eats 3 or 4 servings of vegetables a day and doesn’t eat ice cream at 10 am. Well, I kind of want to be her. I also want to hold on to the part of me that hides a Costco-size M&M container in my closet and regularly snacks from it during the day. So I end up going back and forth between these two versions of myself. Egg whites with veggies one breakfast, donuts for another. Back and forth, back and forth. I’m perpetually on a healthy eating teeter-totter.
This is not commitment.
In contrast, Brian told me about a benefit from our health insurance at the end of 2020. The company would send us Apple watches for $30 upfront, and then we could walk off the rest of the cost. It piqued our interest, for sure. There were three walking goals to earn money:
walk 300 steps in 5 minutes, six times throughout the day (55 minutes apart each time)
go on one 3000-step walk in 30 minutes
walk 10,000 steps per day
Each goal accomplished was worth $1, so if we did all three, we could get $3 per day. It’s not a ton of money, but the yearly amount adds up to $1095! We were much more than interested now. Brian and I ordered our watches and began walking in January 2021. We never miss. Sometimes we forget or have very busy days, and there is a lot of walking/running at 11 pm or later…but we don’t skip walking. Actually, I did miss one day (in a year and a half!), but I was so ill and couldn’t get out of bed. 😳 Typically, you will see Brian and me walking. A LOT.
We are completely committed.
So what is the difference? How is it that I can be so committed to one thing in my life and so lukewarm about another? Is it the $3? Is that all it takes for me to be committed? Is it the easiness of the goals? For me, walking is an easy thing to do…but eating healthy all the time seems hard.
The difference is really my thoughts.
When I get up each day, I don’t ask myself if I’m going to walk today. I don’t wonder if I want to or if it will fit in my schedule or even if it will be fun? That decision was made in January 2021. I walk and meet all three daily goals, NO MATTER WHAT. The no-matter-what part of my thought creates a commitment that is steady and unshakeable. In contrast, I often think “I want those M&Ms,” which is why I so easily get off the healthy eating train and snack on candy throughout the day.
Our thoughts are incredibly important.
Don’t ignore them.
Do yourself a favor this week, and pay attention to the things in your life that you are 💯 committed to. Then notice what you are thinking about those things. It’s fascinating.
P.S. If you’d like help figuring out what you’re thinking, or just want to talk more about commitment or maybe your lack of it, click the button below and sign up for a 20-minute consult. You’ll be so glad you did.
