Commitment and Habits are the Keys to Achieving Success

Have you ever decided you will do something, go somewhere, or go after a new goal, and when the time comes to act, it often seems too hard, or other priorities or perceived priorities get in the way?

I know I have, and a great example is fasting. I embraced the health benefits of a fasting lifestyle earlier this year and completed a 72-hour water fast and a few 36-hour fasts, as well as many days where I fasted for 15 to 17 hours.  When well informed, it is a fantastic way to manage the fasting process for your health benefits, reset your body, and let it do the work that it knows so well how to do. But it does take commitment.

When I first learned that there is a whole movement about fasting and its benefits, I was motivated to embrace a fasting lifestyle because of my number one value of health. Like anything, I know that when I am motivated and decide to do a few weeks of intermittent fasting, I must determine if I am interested or committed. This is because if I am interested in fasting and all the benefits that come with it, I will do what is easy and comfortable, which could mean that if I get hungry, I may be tempted to eat something light and tell myself it is OK and will not make a big difference. However, it will make a difference because I will be letting myself down based on my value of health and, therefore, will be incongruent with what is most important to me. The eating may be fine; I can always start again. However, the alignment with and commitment to the value that is important to me is integral. As Ken Blanchard wisely highlighted, “There's a difference between interest and commitment. When you're interested in doing something, you do it only when it's convenient. When you're committed to something, you accept no excuses, only results.”

Commitment to results in business and life is critical. Consistency in how we show up is vital when we decide to achieve something and commit ourselves to it. However, commitment to consistency comes first, which is about habits.  Consistency is a habit that we can develop and a process that can be achieved with structure to support. This is a great way to achieve results and build trust in yourself to achieve your goals.

This is because discipline chooses between what you want now and what you want most. We humans could be better at delaying gratification; we want what we want, and we want it now! However, the actual results are achieved by delaying gratification and sticking to your commitment. Commitment is about  habit stacking.

So, it is in business. Getting results in business takes time, and being committed to showing up consistently with clear goals, a plan and strong planning habits is how success is ultimately achieved. Without commitment, you may never start, dream big and be willing to stretch your comfort zone to go where you may not have previously. Change is inevitable when you want to achieve goals; this is when real challenges start. We are designed to learn and grow, so know that there will always be mental and physical barriers, and when you can accept these changes, you can move forward.

Here are five tips to help you be committed:

Tip #1: Understand involvement versus commitment.

When you decide to achieve something, do it wholeheartedly and invest yourself fully. Being involved is like being interested, which means you are not committed enough, so your focus will wane. Choose the one thing  you want to achieve, not the many things. What is that one big goal in business that you want to achieve? Focus on one thing at a time and be committed to that one thing. This will change your life and help you achieve significant outcomes. There are three critical components of success - curiosity to learn, creativity with innovation and commitment to goals. You know when you start that things will get more challenging as you work on your idea, so you need to remain committed to change to achieve success.

Tip #2: Learn how to commit to habits.

Someone always knows what you know, and others who don't know what you know or know stuff you do not know. This volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous environment can be competitive and exhausting. So, what are you going to do? Are you going to quit? Probably not, and do you know why? We are wired to keep fighting. When we think we have hit rock bottom, we connect to our fight or flight mode, which is our instinct to keep going. We will either run and hide so we can fight another day, or we will face up and fight now and do what needs to be done to get what we want. This is why the most committed achieve their goals. If you give up and see others achieve what you have dreamed of, it will hurt, so it is better to work hard today and be willing to do what others are not, to get what others will not have, with no regrets.

Tip #3: Never give up.

Brian Tracy says, "Success is like pumping and old will handle. You have to pump a very long time before you get water. But don't give up, or you will have to start all over again." This quote sums up the value of never giving up. Before you give up, consider the time, effort and energy you have expended. Even the planning took time. Many times, even if you plan to keep going, things may not turn out how you expected. This is the time to hold your ground and fight back as best as possible. There is always a way, and you can find the way.

Tip #4: Allow yourself thinking time.

When you can free your mind and give yourself time to think, you create space for creativity and innovation. Your mind becomes like a lighthouse, shining thoughts and questions on ideas and ways to achieve. Focus on the goals and the one thing you want to achieve. When you make a choice and know it to be the right one for you, commit and never look back. When planning in business, thinking time is imperative, as there is always a need to constantly evolve and improve to get results in a competitive environment. Aim to have no regrets because life is too short for them!

Tip #5: Decide to be your best.

When you decide to be the best version of yourself, you pave the way for lifelong learning and growth. Growth is a core human need and can only be achieved through learning. We can never know everything, so there is always something to learn. The more you learn, the more you realise there is to learn. So, commit to something bigger than yourself. Be a part of a group that will support commitment. This could be a community group, a team at work, a networking group, or a family group. In a committed group, everyone works for the benefit of the group, so there is a constant source of inspiration and motivation to be the best you can be. In this way, you can contribute more significantly to others, another core need we humans have.

Commitment allows us to fulfil our basic needs, achieve our most sought-after dreams and be the best version of ourselves that we can be. It gives us purpose. You’ll never start without commitment, but once you do so, it is necessary to stick to it to gain all the benefits. Building solid habits around your goal will allow you to create your desired future. This is because we do not create our future. The habits we develop and build on create our future.

Start small and remember the five tips provided. It’s never too late to learn how to commit. Don’t be afraid of the change this will bring. Change is the only permanent thing in life; there is a new opportunity with every new change. Committing to change will help you achieve the success you want in business and life.