Two questions to start out with…
- What are you committed to?
- How do you stay committed?
Do you ever consciously think about this? I never did until I discovered how words matter! The words I put on each day drive how I show up to my life and give me the ability to live the life I have always desired. I have learned how to create a life I desire by honoring my commitments—and you have the ability to do this too! It is a power each one of us has within us to clean up our thoughts that aren’t serving us and then go begin to put on thoughts that create the results we truly desire.
I am writing this as I finish up a 3-day family reunion at Bear Lake in Garden City, Utah. This reunion started being discussed in Feb. 2021. We first had to find a date that all 6 siblings could agree on with our busy schedules and that my parents could attend. After a date was determined, then we started to look for a place to rent that could accommodate our whole family, 39 people. From there, there was communication back and forth to decide all the details that needed to be determined when planning such an event.
To do anything of value or of true worth does take effort. Some of the day-to-day efforts seemed like a lot of work at the time but we were committed to the future goal and that is what kept us moving forward with it.
This reunion, as we celebrated my mom and dad’s 70th birthdays, was just such an event. It took effort and commitment but it turned out amazing. As we focused on the commitment–we were able to honor the little things that happened along the way. As I watch the sunrise this morning over the beautiful lake—I am in awe of the small and simple things—yet again, a most amazing experience for all of us in the family has taken place.
How is this possible? By learning the significance of honoring our commitments. It is easy to plan ahead of time but how do we honor the commitments when it is time to show up and do the work and figure things out? I have learned through The Life Coach School, where I became a certified Life Coach, about our prefrontal cortex and our primitive brain. Have you ever noticed that it is easy to plan things when they are always far away on the calendar—but as it gets closer and it requires effort on your part, it requires staying committed.
It is easier to procrastinate or look the other way or say, “I don’t want to do this anymore” just because it feels hard. I am all too familiar with this until I learned positive and proactive tools that help me keep my thoughts and feelings working toward creating the results I desire.
One way I have learned to do that is to put on thoughts that allowed me to feel committed to the desires of my heart. I wanted to help plan this 70th birthday reunion celebration for my parents despite the setbacks of working with others, finding a date, having lots of opinions that at times caused stress—I stayed committed to the goal, put on positive thoughts, and did small things over a long period of time.
To honor commitments is oftentimes the act of showing up each day and focusing on our future self and what we are able to control.
To honor commitments is oftentimes the act of showing up each day and focusing on our future self and what we are able to control. When I was trying to control all of my sibling’s schedules, ideas, etc…I was the one who suffered. If I focused on myself and how I wanted to show up—I found this to be enough work and the effort on my part was manageable and I was able to honor what I committed to.
Dan Sullivan, a strategic coach, teaches the 4 C’s of success: Commitment, Courage, Capability, and Confidence. Each word is powerful on its own but I have discovered that to create anything starts with commitment! To feel committed starts with how we are thinking. As you honor your commitments, you then can practice having the courage to do what is required. Remember–courage doesn’t always feel good—it can bring discomfort because your primitive brain wants to just do what it has always done. But the secret is as you stay committed and put on courage—you then become more and more capable and with the capability you become more and more confident. It is an EFFECT with words that creates success.
Today, July 15, 2021, is my 24th wedding anniversary. I have learned over and over what it means to honor commitments in my marriage. I got married and thought I would just live happily ever after. Again–with this commitment–it required and still requires effort and work on my part. I don’t just live my life—I have discovered that life goes by and it is what we choose to think about how we want to live it that matters. The last 24 years have been full of joy and heartache. The 50/50 of life but today I know how to walk through any situation to work toward my biggest goal of honoring my commitment to myself in my marriage.
It doesn’t matter the commitments—big or small—we all have them. The key is how to honor them. Practice putting on the 4 Cs that Dan Sullivan offers. What are you committed to and why? As you feel committed, you then put on courage to do the things that might seem difficult to do. As you practice courage—you will become more capable and see you are able to show up differently. When you become more capable—your confidence in your ability to show up grows.
This my friends is how we honor our commitments. There is so much more I want to share so be sure to listen to the podcast, Honor Commitments on The Word Effect Podcast. Also, sign up for a free 30-minute coaching session at www.becomingwithbecky.com/freecall where I will show you simple tools and strategies for how to honor commitments in your own life.
It is time! Why wait? As Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Take the first step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase. Just take the first step.” This is the beginning of a simple awareness of how to honor your commitments. You have the power within to honor the commitments you desire!
xo, Becky
