Commitment is one of the ingredients to get things done and reach goals. If you are not fully committed to something, you will not put in all the effort required to succeed. Also, it will make you give up too quickly and work with less determination. In fact, lack of commitment is one of the reasons why people fail to achieve their goals. Most people set goals and feel strongly motivated for some days, creating a false belief that they’re committed to what they want to achieve. Learning English, for example, requires daily commitment because you will have ups and downs along the way.
We know that commitment is not something that comes out of nowhere — it is something you develop over time. One of the most effective ways to develop a commitment to your goals is by identifying you're ‘why, or your reasons’. They are all the ways your life will get better if you achieve this goal — and all of the ways your life will be worse if you do not accomplish this goal. For example, how will your life improve when you speak English? What opportunities can you have if you are able to speak this language?
Identifying you're ‘why’ is necessary as this is the pillar when you come across difficulties, obstacles, and challenges. This is the root of motivation when the clock seems to tick against you and you think about giving up.
But how can we identify our ‘why’? We need to understand that there are “flat-level” and “deeper level” results that create our ‘why’. Let’s think about the goal of ‘If I speak English, I will be able to talk to my children’s teacher’, for example. You don’t set this type of goal because you want to have a small talk to the teacher (flat-level result), but because you want what this action will do to your life. Achieving this goal might give you security and freedom to talk to others and communicate what you really want (deeper-level result). These reasons are much more inspiring than just the fact of “talking”. If you remind yourself of these inspiring deeper-level results, you are much more committed to achieving the goal.
Sometimes it can be difficult to identify a deep ‘why,’ but if you can’t, you will be less committed. Instead, you will get distracted easily, stay in your comfort zone more often, and give up quickly.
Just get started
Ok, but how can I put all of this into practice? So, to go into action, pick a goal that you have been wishing and ask yourself ‘why do I wish this goal?’, ‘what are the deeper-level results?’ and ‘how will my life be different after achieving this goal?’ Write down the ‘why’, post it on your fridge, or leave it in a place you can see and review it on a daily basis as part of your morning routine to start your day focused and inspired.