Do you keep trying and yet keep failing to commit?
Commit to a serious relationship, to losing weight, to changing your lifestyle, to stop being late for work and social meetups, to stop smoking, to reduce alcohol consumption, to doing better at work, to going home early, to spending more time with family, to quitting your addictions and bad habits…
Hala! It’s the end of January… and I haven’t stayed true to my resolutions! Maybe I should just forget about my 2023 goals… Maybe I should just give up since I know I won’t be able to commit…
Why? Are you dead? Keep going!
How do you eat an elephant?
There is only one way to eat an elephant: a bite at a time. —Desmond Tutu
We might find it difficult to commit to our goal because we see it as the giant elephant that it is. When it seems too impossible to achieve, take one small step at a time towards it. Do a little at a time.
If our elephant is to reach a healthy weight, maybe we can commit to small everyday habits rather than focusing on the number on a scale. Ten pounds will not disappear overnight.
Revisit your intentions.
Let’s say you’re one of the many who are struggling to commit to being more financially responsible. Go back to the moment you decided on your goal.
Why do you want to be more financially responsible? What made you decide to save money?
Revisit your short-term and/or long-term intentions.
Are you setting aside money to buy a car or an apartment unit? Or are you working towards being financially responsible for a future family or comfortable retirement?
If this trip down memory lane doesn’t work, then perhaps your intentions aren’t compelling enough for your goals.
Maybe it’s not meant to be.
If you’ve been having commitment problems in pursuing a goal for quite some time now, start considering some changes. Is it possible that you are having trouble committing because you are just forcing yourself?
Perhaps the stars aren’t aligned—and I don’t mean astrologically. What I mean is that other aspects or essentials of yourself might not be aligned with the object of your commitment. Something must change. And it is up to you to figure out what it is.
The level of success you achieve will be in direct proportion to the depth of your commitment.
― Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart
