I committed eight weeks ago to post a weekly article to LinkedIn on Tuesdays. It’s been a good run, but this past week I got busy, and now it’s 9:30 on Tuesday night and I have a decision to make. Do I stick to my commitment, write an article, and post it yet today? Or, should I decide that I had a good run, give myself some grace, and post something tomorrow or possibly even just skip a week?
The question: When the rubber meets the road, are you really as committed as you say you are?
The easy choice right now would be to pat myself on the back for a good seven-week run and tell myself I’ll jump back in next Tuesday. It’s been a long day, and I’m tired. I deserve to go to bed. The reality is, until this very moment, I never really put it out there publicly that I was going to try and keep up my Tuesday writing schedule. Up until now, the commitment was just between me and myself. If I didn’t write this tonight, most of you wouldn’t even notice.
Here’s the deal though… Commitments matter. If I make a commitment to my coworkers or my wife, to my clients or my kids, there is an expectation that comes with that commitment. I’m making a statement that I can be counted on and that my word is reliable. That includes commitments I make to myself.
When things get tough, or challenges arise, will I rise to the occasion or will I cave?
What’s my main reason for breaking my commitments? Nine times out of ten, it comes back to the same excuse. “I was too busy.” I wrestle with this… When I say I’m busy, is it true, or is it just an excuse and code for something else? Maybe I should just cut through the BS and admit “I didn’t care enough to make it a priority.” Writing this is a great example of that. I was busy last week… catching up on my latest recorded TV episodes and hitting golf balls at the range. Those were my priorities, not the commitment I made to myself to write this article.
A mentor in my first job told me one day, “Never make a promise you can’t keep.” It’s turned out to be good advice, and there have been moments when I’ve learned to hold my tongue rather than casually throw around my commitments. It’s also created the constant pressure to stick to what I say, even something simple and seemingly unimportant like promising myself I would write an article every Tuesday.
Commitment. It starts with the small things, and so here’s Tuesday’s article. Enjoy.
The Takeaway
Commit to your commitments. Make sure you’re putting action behind your promises… esspecially the ones you’ve made to yourself.
