A Powerful Force in Your Success: Commitment

Since childhood I have been fascinated by observing people and their behavior. More specifically, I have been fascinated by observing the behavior of those who truly set themselves apart from the ordinary in their achievements. The field in which they excelled didn’t matter to me, it could be aviation, sports, parenting, academics, business, the arts, wood carving, being married, painting, engraving, farming, I didn’t care. What captivated me, and still does, was the achievement of excellence.

Over many years of working with and talking to people who have achieved excellence in some way or another, I have learned that there is one thing these people, regardless of the field they were working in, shared in common: commitment. Commitment is an interesting concept in life, and it is one that I think is not understood all that well. First, let me tell you what commitment is not.

Commitment is not having an interest in something. I once read that having an interest in doing something implies that you will act when circumstances permit. But, when you’re committed to something you will accept no excuses—only results. Many years ago a friend of mine, Sam Cohen, who was a well known psychotherapist in Los Angeles, gave me another perspective on commitment. He posed the question, “Are you playing not to lose or playing to win? There is a big difference, you know.” Think about that for a moment. Playing not to lose is what many people do in their careers. They do just enough to stay employed and not “rock the boat” with asking any questions or putting forth any ideas that may not be accepted. They perform at a minimum to their ability. These are generally the people who are unhappy with their jobs, can’t wait for time off for holidays and call in sick for the maximum number of days each year.

On the other hand, playing to win has a boldness about it. One becomes very committed to whatever it is they are doing when they say to themselves, and to others, “I’m going to do this!” One of my favorite philosophers, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, summed it up best with this quote, “Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.” This is what commitment is all about. It becomes a powerful force that minimizes obstacles, opens doors, inspires confidence in yourself and in those around you, and points the way to the achievement of excellence.

Committed professionals are the ones who have a purpose and direction in life. They are anxious to continue learning, to accept difficult assignments, make suggestions, share ideas and delight in being given the opportunity to solve complex problems. These are the people who go home at night with a sense of fulfillment, accomplishment and pride in what they have done and are doing.

Who do you think leaders of companies look to when they need someone for mission-critical assignments? Who do they look to when a key position becomes vacant in senior management and they need to put someone they can count on in that position? They look to people who have displayed commitment to what they do. These are the people who reap the rewards in their careers and lives. These people are seldom concerned about advancing in their careers because they are sought out, either by people inside their company or those within other companies who know their value.

Someone once cautioned, though, that being committed to your goals and dreams doesn’t guarantee you’ll have an easy road but, once you do commit yourself to something, you will be working toward its achievement with every step you take in that direction.

I think it’s only natural that most of us are nervous about making commitments sometimes, because we are concerned about the difficulty of the task, the chances of failure, and that we will “lose face” in the eyes of others or appear incompetent in some way. Personally, though, deep down in each of us, I think we would rather be known for attempting admirable achievements and falling a bit short now and then, than to have attempted nothing admirable at all.

I’ll close with this quote from Stanford University’s first president, David Starr Jordan, “The world stands aside to let anyone pass who knows where they’re going.”

So, what about you? Are you playing not to lose or are you playing to win?

Good luck on your way up!