Making Commitment an Effective Habit
Most of us don’t think about commitment when it comes to habits. But there is an important relationship between the two. Commitment may mean the difference between success and business as usual.
I know someone who discovered this when struggling to lose weight. She kept a list of what she was to do and when it needed to be done, and created habits to fulfill that, within many areas of her life. But it wasn’t working in the area of weight loss.
Habits that Didn’t Work
Why were the habits she created to succeed not working for her? After a lot of thought, she asked herself, “What is my real commitment here?” Surprising to her, it was, “I want to eat what I want, whenever I want to.”
The question became, “What can I be committed to?” She started to type her thoughts and then remembered the energy she experienced before putting on the weight. Her posture began to change, sitting up straight as she continued to type.
Thoughts streamed across the page – having fun, dancing, playing with the kids, feeling peaceful, joy, and more.
Take Small Steps at First
The commitment became ‘having great health’ with all the habits within it to succeed, and give what that provides. So the idea of having to lose weight-a heavy burden-became just one small action, within a broader scope of the joy of great health.
Over the next couple of weeks, she found that besides losing weight for health, she would also meditate and go for a daily walk, journal her thoughts in the mornings, pick something fun to do several times a week, and yes – focus on eating healthy, a completely different mindset.
It wasn’t about the burden of losing weight anymore. Habits were used to fulfill the new commitment that was discovered, and the process became very productive. The weight loss happened easily and was just a part of many actions that had her feeling healthy and engaged in the process. It was easier and fun to reach the goals.
Struggling with Ineffective Habits
Are you struggling with certain habits? Look at why the goal is important to you and if your commitment is supporting what you want to achieve. If it is, you will use the motivation to make it happen. Rethink the commitment in a way that creates the one that calls to you. Your habits will then point you to that goal.
This can be done in any area of your life where you find yourself struggling – finding a job, improving a relationship, achieving success with your goals. It also lightens the load – the burden of it – and you can enjoy the process and have fun with it!
Building on Commitment Success
The habit of making commitments becomes the gateway to success in your goals. For more in-depth help on how to master the commitment habit, read this.
