For some of us, the word commitment brings up mixed feelings. Perhaps some excitement but definitely some fear, too. Committing to something or someone with grit means you are there for the long haul through the good and the bad, the triumphs and the struggles. It’s something that will cause you to pause at least momentarily before proceeding. When buying something some of the risk is mitigated by claims such as a money back guarantee or the ability to return something for a refund. Other times, the commitment is more final like buying a house.
What about the commitment of achieving goals? Goals like getting in shape, eating healthier, learning to meditate, or even to get more sleep. For these personal goals, the commitment is to ourselves. We all start with good intentions, but over time our good intentions often lead to a return to old habits. Life happens. But if we are honest with ourselves, we’d acknowledge that within every success story are tales of things gone awry- missed workouts, cheat days that stretch for several days, and even periods of the scale moving in the wrong direction. The point is, within every long-term success story there are inevitably days of missing the mark. It’s impossible to work out every single day, nor eat healthy food for every day until the end of time.
Making mistakes and getting off track are just a known, regular part of the process. If we knew that in advance and really embraced it, the first time we missed a workout or blew our diet it wouldn’t be so bad- it’s part of the process after all. Then, instead of blaming ourselves and feeling guilty and ashamed, we could brush it off as no big deal, and get right back on track quickly. So the next time your soccer loving child tells you he doesn’t want to play because he didn’t score a goal, or your daughter is too scared to ride her bike after a fall, you can help by explaining that mistakes and mishaps are just par for the course. Around the bend, they will see the fruits of their labor pay off…there may just be a few bumps in the road to get around first.