Raise your hands if you’re guilty of any of the following.

–          Joined a health club but forgot to go and workout.

–          Started a new weight-loss program on Monday morning, just as you have every Monday morning for as far back as you can remember.

–          Threw a half pack of cigarettes into the garbage following a decision to quit only to retrieve them two hours later following your  revised decision to quit – tomorrow.

–          Put off – again – that project to paint the living room/finish the basement/clean up the garage/clean out the eaves/cut the grass/fix the squeaky fridge door etc., etc., etc.

–          Signed up for, and didn’t complete, those courses that were going to help accelerate your career.

–          Didn’t keep the promise you made to yourself to become the best, most dependable and most productive employee you are capable of being.

I don’t think it is a generalization to say that all of us have done some of these things and that some of us  have done all of these things.

Do any of these patterns of repeated behaviours belong on your resume?

–          Starts many things, finishes none.

–          Keeps starting the same things over and over.

–          Seeks an escape route whenever things get tough.

–          Has good intentions, just never quite gets around to doing anything.

The question is why have we done, and continue to do, these things?

Here is what I believe to be true. There are certain traits that are prerequisites to becoming leaders of our own lives.

Interestingly, possessing these traits will not assure us of attaining leadership status however, the absence of these traits will most assuredly prevent us from ever being self leaders

One of these nonnegotiable traits of leadership is a little thing called commitment.

And the reason why so many of us have pled guilty to some, or all, of the above charges is because we haven’t employed that little thing.

And if we don’t have that little thing called commitment our repeated non achievement of our goals and objectives will lead us to frequently experience something far bigger called disappointment or frustration or anger or disgust or disillusionment which are all emotions that, when experienced frequently, will often cause us to reach negative and damaging conclusions about ourselves that, once we accept as truth seem to have a habit of repeating themselves because, well, the truth is the truth, isn’t it?

So commitment is not a little thing – it’s EVERYTHING.

It means when you say you’re going to do something – you do it.

It means when you start something, you finish it.

It means when things get tough you don’t quit, you tough it out UNTIL…

It means you endure the immediate pain in order to reap the future pleasure

It means doing what we set out to do  is absolutely not optional.

The dictionary tells us that commitment means a pledge, a promise, an obligation.

It means that by committing to something we pledge, as if by oath, to its completion.

It means that by committing to something we promise to not choose the path of non achievement.

It means that by committing to something we are obligated to see it through, to finish what we started and, perhaps, to do what we don’t feel like doing, because a pledge and an promise and an obligation are expressions of our character and reveal to the world who we are and what we stand for.

And our character lets others (and ourselves) know if we can be trusted.

And if we can’t be trusted to stick to our commitments, then what can we be trusted to do?

So remember; if you haven’t committed yourself, you should have yourself committed.

Till we read again.

P.S. Thank you, thank you, thank you to all of you who sent birthday wishes and greeting to my wife, Gimalle. You kind deeds and loving words were overwhelming and ensured that she had a fun-filled and joyous birthday.