What is commitment?
I was listening to the motivational speaker Zig Ziglar’s audio program the other day, and he was talking about one time, right after he had finished a speech when a lady approached him and asked a question: “You must make some good money by giving those speeches.” Zig Ziglar smiled and said: No no no! I’m gonna put rumours to an end, Let me tell you the truth: I get paid a LOT of money to give those speeches.”
What Zig Ziglar didn’t tell her was that there were many mornings when he would get up very early and talk to the truck drivers, so they could give him a lift to somewhere he would give a speech; what he didn’t tell her was that he spoke in churches, prisons, community halls and many other places for free; what he didn’t tell her was that there were many times he had to drive a couple hundred miles just to speak to a dozen people, then drive back the same night because he simply couldn’t afford to stay at a motel. He did this because he believed that he had something to say, and he practiced and learned to say it in a way that people would hear him.
That is commitment.
I once met this amazing person who was very inspiring. I partnered with her and we drew her vision together, and she got present in the future she wanted to create. There were sparkles in her eyes, and she was lit up. It was magical. She was excited, and I was excited. We decided to work together to get her there.
The next day, I got an email with a list of the many reasons why she couldn’t work with me. She backed out. It was painful to see her throw away the dream she had had for many years. Her light dimmed away. Sadly, she has not been the only one who has backed out in my coaching experience.
Just the other day, I got two separate text messages. One was from a client who said “Thanks for another great session. Seriously, working with you is the best gift I’ve ever given myself”, and another client’s message was telling me that he completed his master’s degree 6 months ahead of time, which saved him over $7000, and he’s going on vacation to celebrate.
Everyone has a dream, a vision, a life purpose. So why do some get to live their dreams, and some don’t?
It’s about commitment. No matter how hard, scary, or how impossible it seems, they JUST keep going. When they get stopped by fear or hear the voice of “IT’S IMPOSSIBLE” in their minds, they ask for help, get support, take on a partner, cry, scream… they do whatever they need to do, and keep going.
They recognize that we all have fears and doubts, but that’s not who we are. We are our dreams, our visions and our life purpose.
Commitment is based on possibility. It can be filled with love and joy. With commitment, there is nothing wrong and there is nothing to prove or fix. When we are committed, we create life experiences and see results because they are an expression of who we are and what we are called to be and do, beyond the limits of our fears.
Don’t stop. Keep going, because the view at the top is breathtaking.