I used to think that I knew what commitment and persistence
meant. Trying hard. Making a lot of attempts. However, I
didn't grasp the true meaning of these concepts until I read
a small book entitled, The Ultimate Secret To Getting
Absolutely Everything You Want, by Mike Hernacki.
Commitment is the essence of The Ultimate Secret. According
to the author, the key to getting what you want is the
"willingness to do whatever it takes" to accomplish your
objective. Now, before your mind jumps to conclusions, let
me add that in saying "whatever it takes," I exclude all
actions which are illegal, unethical or which harm other
people.
So, exactly what do I mean by this "willingness?" Let me
explain further. It's a mental attitude which says: if the
process to reach my goal takes five steps, I'll do those
five steps; if it requires 1,005 steps, I'll do those 1,005
steps. Of course, at the outset of any endeavor, you usually
won't know exactly how many steps will be required to reach
your goal. This doesn't matter. To succeed, all that's
necessary is that you make a commitment to do whatever it
takes -- regardless of the number of steps involved.
Where does persistence fit in? Persistent action follows
commitment -- that is, you first must be committed to
something before you will persist to achieve it. Once you
have made a commitment to achieve your goal, then you will
follow through with relentless determination and action
until you attain the desired result.
The "Magic" of Commitment
When you make a commitment and are willing to do whatever it
takes, you begin to attract the people and circumstances
necessary to accomplish your goal. For instance, once you
devote yourself to becoming, say, a best-selling author, you
might suddenly "bump into" a literary agent or "discover" a
television program offering advice on this very topic. It's
not as if these resources never existed before, it's just
that your mind never focused on finding them.
Once you commit yourself to something, you create a mental
picture of what it would be like to achieve it. Then, your
mind immediately goes to work, like a magnet, attracting
events and circumstances that will help bring your picture
into reality. This is not an overnight process, however; you
must be active and seize the opportunities as they appear.
The magic that flows from commitment has never been more
eloquently or more accurately described than in the
following words by W. N. Murray: "Until one is committed
there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always
ineffectiveness.... The moment one definitely commits
oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things
occur to help one that would otherwise never have occurred.
A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising
in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and
meetings and material assistance, which no man could have
dreamt would have come his way."
Another miraculous feature of the power of commitment is
that you don't need to know up front how to achieve your
goal. Having a plan will greatly assist you, but it is not
essential that every step be mapped out in advance. In fact,
when you have the willingness to do whatever it takes, the
right steps are often suddenly revealed to you.
A Word of Caution
Before you get too excited about waltzing easily toward your
goals, I caution you. Even with a commitment, everything
will not be rosy on your path. Life will test you to see how
serious you are about achieving your objective. Obstacles
will arise. You'll make mistakes, and suffer disappointments
and setbacks, some of which may be quite severe and even
tempt you to abandon your goal. That's when it becomes
important to follow the sage wisdom of Winston Churchill,
who said: "Never, never, never give up." Or the advice
provided by Madonna in one of her hit songs: "You get up
again ... over and over!" If you have made a commitment to
accomplish a goal, you can overcome temporary defeats ...
and triumph.
Now, let's assume you have a goal in mind. The next question
to ask yourself is: Am I willing to do whatever it takes to
achieve this goal? If your answer is: I'll do just about
anything, except that I won't do _____, you are not willing
to do whatever it takes. And the likelihood is that you will
be derailed and not achieve your objective.
Take Action!
Now that you've learned about the power of commitment, it's
time to apply the principle. So, go ahead. Select a goal
that you have a burning desire to achieve. Make a commitment
to do whatever it takes to achieve this goal. Start moving
forward and get ready to notice and take advantage of all
opportunities that come your way. Then follow through with
persistent action and get ready to succeed!
About The Author
Jeff Keller is a motivational speaker and author of the best-selling book, Attitude is Everything. For more information and to sign up for his monthly e-mail newsletter, visit www.attitudeiseverything.com
