Confused? Commit.

Commitment can be uncomfortable. It can be risky. It can be scary. And it’s exactly what’s needed to move forward and get results. Commitment takes the extremely complex world (that can be paralyzingly full of options) and simplifies it so you can get to work. Commitment clarifies. And it inspires. Let me tell you what I mean.

We first have to understand what commitment is... It’s the state of being dedicated to a cause. Being focused on an activity, a goal or a vision. Effective commitment puts something at risk: your reputation, your relationships, your “other options”, even your money. The size of your commitment is commensurate with the size of your potential results. 

Elon Musk famously risked all his money, committed to electric vehicles and space travel. Malala risked her personal safety committed to women's rights & education in the Middle East and all over the world. Denny Post, the CEO of Red Robin, risked “getting a tattoo” to improve their customer review numbers (and it worked, here’s the story). 

The key is, not committing to things for the sake of risk,ut rather, committing for the benefit of others. When you see someone stand up and commit to a cause bigger than their own discomfort…it’s inspiring, it’s moving, and it’s what people mean when they talk about leading from the front: committing by putting yourself on the line for the benefit of others. 

There are nearly countless options for everything these days. When simply buying ketchup at the store you’re confronted with a wall of options. When deciding on a new car, you have entire companies devoted to giving you all the options on models, colors, sizes, buying options, and everything else. And when dealing with the direction of your business (not to mention your life), you have to sort through language, websites, social, promotion, legal, HR and a seemingly endless list of options. 

By committing to a decision or a direction, you’ve now simplified the remaining options (there simply are fewer of them). You’ve risked the potential of everything for the opportunity of something. Even if it’s not exactly the right commitment, you will learn something, you will make progress and you’ve now (?) focused your energy on a direction. When you’re confused, commit. 

There’s a bonus on this one… A funny thing happens when you commit. Not only does it simplify the remaining options...but the bigger and more audacious your commitment is, the more it’s going to light you up. Inspire you. Get you out of bed in the morning. And when you’re inspired, it will inspire more and better people around you to help you achieve whatever it is you’re looking to accomplish. 

It’s already February of 2021. How that’s possible, I have no idea. What do you want to accomplish this year? Get a degree? Run a marathon? Make more money? It could be anything… But pick something and look for how you can commit to it. A great way to start committing is by sharing it in The #NoMatterWhat Community on Facebook -- it’s a private group that’ll have your back through whatever it takes. It’s a community to help.

Most of the world looks to dodge commitment to “keep options open”. Don’t make that mistake. If you don’t commit to things and pick a direction, time running out will make the decisions for you when it’s too late. Sure, commitment is scary, it is risky and it is uncomfortable -- but it’s also how you get results instead of regret.