Why haven’t you fully committed yet?
"The only limit to your impact is your imagination and commitment". ~Tony Robbins
Why haven’t you fully committed yet? This is an important question to consider especially if you have been struggling for a long time to achieve a goal and have stopped and started multiple times. For years, I would gain and lose the same 20 pounds. For so long, I really didn’t understand the reasons why I didn’t commit fully and how I could overcome this issue. For starters, it’s important to understand what commitment is. I define commitment as a pledge or promise to do something, or sometimes a pledge to not do something. It sounds simple, until you are faced with competing desires, urges, and pressures, and you face these urges without a plan of attack. When you are only getting let’s say 20% of your desired outcome, this means that 80% of you is not fully committed. Why? The reason is your brain is weighing other options instead. Let’s say I was committed to working out 4 times a week, but 2 times each week I chose to stay in and procrastinate, or watch tv, or do chores, or really, anything else. Well, in this example, I would only be only about half-committed. I was choosing Plan B (the other more comfortable option) unconsciously thus only getting half of the way to my goal at best.It’s important to understand that our primitive brain is wired to seek pleasure, avoid pain, and conserve energy. Thus, it makes total sense why you would have an urge to stay in under the covers and finish watching ‘Stranger Things’ than doing sprints on the treadmill at a gym some 10 miles away from your warm cozy couch. What I tell my clients, and what I want to stress to you is to not beat yourself up over this. Rather, understand that our unconscious desires and urges keep us away from our goals because they steer us away from discomfort. While this is counterintuitive because wouldn’t our brain move us towards what we want? Well, this response is normal, and is part of being human. The move away from discomfort and away from full commitment is safe, but is also limiting. I can show you another way.
Commitment allows us to get our dreams. To pivot from this, we have to get comfortable getting uncomfortable. You are probably tired of hearing me say that discomfort is the currency for our success. We have to know that our brain will fight us at first. It will nudge us to stay in and snack, rather than do a tough workout. Plan on this happening. Be on to your own brain. Embrace the discomfort, and it will evolve you. Take option B off the table. It does not help you grow. Consider these two important questions when it comes to a goal you’ve been struggling to attain:
1). Who would you have to become in order to pursue option A (your goal) with 100% commitment?
2). What is appealing about who you would be if you chose option B (staying in your current comfort zone)?
Really take time to consider the answers to these two questions. We have to consciously consider and understand why we often choose option B, even if it doesn’t serve us. Once you really understand this, you can go ALL IN on one important goal and make a plan when you have the competing desire from Plan B.
This is an excellent time to check in with those resolutions or goals for 2018 that we made over a month ago. I have an 8 -step process and worksheet for anyone interested in taking this to a deeper level. If you are interested in a complimentary coaching session to try this concept, please schedule your spot today @ http://bit.ly/2rD8YZk
Your goals are waiting. All the best.
