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Zachary Aldwin Milkshake in the Boardroom
Commitment is a word that carries the ideas of faithfulness, and of grit and determination to see one through the hard times.

One of the problems with commitment is that we often do not learn to make our own decisions on it until we are well out of school. The benign dictatorship of many school systems where subjects and sports are compulsory is not true commitment as there is only a limited decision by you to stick it out.

Your parents and the system often determine that you will finish the time allocated and the overrule objection.

Commitment, for many, is a late bloomer in the formation of our world view. Then it gets tainted by a media that portray a casual attitude towards relationships as acceptable. No wonder we struggle with it. There is a difference between being committed and being merely interested. A committed owner (or employee, entrepreneur, leader) dedicates himself to learning and taking the risk of things possibly not working out.

Regardless of the potential outcome, they fling themselves wholeheartedly into a cause. Be that cause a marriage, a business, a charity, a sport there is a complete dedication to it and increasing the success it has.

Commitment to a cause is rare. Sometimes I feel that it was easier to have a cause a few centuries ago when big armies still marched out under the banner of a king.

A cause could grip a nation and rally it to greatness. Having a cause to commit to is a motivator unlike any other.

You can be good at something if you choose to be. With few great causes available, the individual cause becomes more visible. You can champion your company, commit to being a sports champion, produce a better world, all you have to do is make the decision and stick it out.

Choose your level and be content with it. We see spouses abandoning one another in droves, athletes ditching their teams for bigger contracts.

It doesn’t take a decently good entrepreneur to launch a product and scale it into a successful venture; it takes a dedicated and committed one. You determine if you wish to be content with mediocrity or become a champion. If you are happy with mediocrity then that is your call, just do not complain. If you wish to become a champion then train like one. If you wish to be a rock star then practice like one. There is a price to greatness that separates the committed from everyone else.

Do what it takes. The first step is showing up. I began a martial arts training last year, since I started a number of people I know have expressed an interest but never made it to class. The second step is showing up again, even when it hurts. US politician Mike Rounds once said: “We can do things the cheap way, the simple way, for the short-term and without regard for the future.

“Or, we can make the extra effort, do the hard work, absorb the criticism and make decisions that will cause a better future.”

The minute you commit there will be a host of adversaries, naysayers including the mental one in your own head.

The amazing thing about the critics is that many of them are not making an impact with their lives either.

The first time you may not win. The world champion may only win on his third attempt. Commitment outlasts outcomes. It stays focused until you’ve formed yourself into the leader you need to be in order to handle the outcome you desire.

Stay focused. Don’t wait until you discover you’re good at something to commit. A world changer never knows she’s going to change the world when she starts.

Be confident with humility. Know where you are in the race. When you reach the perceived top remember that someone else can always come from behind.

That another trend may threaten your success. That being the top of the ‘C stream’ class may only mean getting 60 percent and that there is a whole bunch more you can do to go forward. Be fully committed.

“Only one who devotes himself to a cause with his whole strength and soul can be a true master. For this reason mastery demands all of a person.” – Albert Einstein.

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