SELF HELP

Moving From Choice to Commitment

A necessity to create a pattern of successful living.

This article is the second of a series to help you clear away the noise in your life and create focus. As a leadership and success coach, I intend this as a mini-course to help you move from choice to commitment.

My plan is to share with you some easy steps to help you be better at being you.

You can jump in and refer to these articles as many times as you need. How many parts will this series be? Good question. I guess we’ll each know that when we reach the end of this journey. I want to share a lot of quick reads and give you something to mull over and apply in your life.

In the first article, I wrote about making a choice for change in your life. If you’ve not read that one, I’ve copied the link for you below.

I talked about your living at “123 Some Day Lane”, and if you choose not to move, nothing changes. The next step is moving from choice to commitment.

While choice and commitment seem the same, there is a sizable difference. Choice is saying, “This is what I want to do.” Commitment is putting it to action and sticking with it. Let’s look at an example of staying committed even during somewhat fearful moments.

Commitment

Many years ago in my first of two military services, I was a helicopter rescue crewman. We were often in a training mode performing rescue operations with other crewmen at sea.

We flew out to an isolated area over the ocean. Another crewman and me would alternate being the rescuer and being the person in need of rescue.

As the rescuer, we dropped the other wet suited crewman out the door. After he fell into the chilly waters below, I’d await his “thumbs up” signal that he was okay. Then… we’d take off and leave him there.

It was his job to listen and watch for the returning helicopter amid the wet, moving environment. After spotting us, he would light a bright flare or colored smoke. It was my job to see him while sitting in the open doorway of the helicopter. Once I spotted him, I’d directed the pilots to the right position for a rescue. Once above him in a hover, I’d lower a hoist cable and pull him out of the water and up to the helicopter.

After the “rescue”, the other crewman and I would swap positions and I’d be the guy preparing to jump out into the ocean. Most times the weather was favorable. At other times, the temperature was cold, the skies dark, and the seas treacherous. We conducted the training in all environments. In a real-life situation, we didn’t have a say about weather.

There were a few times as I sat in the door waiting to go. My heart was pounding, and I sometimes wished I were somewhere else. Each time I left the door and dropped into the sea below, it empowered me with confidence for the next time… real or not. Over time, in future flights I looked forward to the adrenaline rush of dropping into the cold ocean. Affording yourself greater challenges builds skill if you stay committed to your purpose.

Commitment is critical to anything you hope to achieve in life. It’s even tougher when trying to do something alone. Without support, it is easy to revert to the old history of not living your life and forget your purpose.

Given that, let’s make a virtual choice right now that reverting to the past is not an option.

Here are three successful pathways ahead:

Start a Journal

There are areas in your life where positive change brings you closer to the life you want. Recognizing the change you desire won’t show up without your power of choice to get there. If you don’t have a journal, now is an opportune time to start one. I’ll cover this in more detail in a later article. For now, start taking notes to identify the changes and life you want to live.

If negative thoughts and beliefs show up, write them down. Then, write a positive version of that thought as if the change is materializing. A journal doesn’t have to be something fancy. In fact, I have nice ones I haven’t used because it was a blank canvas I didn’t want to mess up. My favorite is a steno pad. I can carry it around and jot down thoughts and ideas throughout the day. If we are to create a life we want, we should do it with a purpose.

Over the years I’ve coached lots of people through a personal development program like this. It’s rewarding when they recognize a life change they didn’t think was possible. My clients created new businesses and others rid themselves of negative people. Once you make the choice for a change, stay focused and committed.

Get an accountability partner

An accountability partner is important. Find someone who believes in you, not a person with a preconceived opinion of who you are or your abilities. One approach that helps a lot is when friends work through the steps together. When friends support each other during the process, they create a stronger trust bond. Through a mini-mastermind group, they share ideas together. In at least one case, I’ve seen friends complete a program like this and then create a business together.

Get a Coach

I’m not suggesting this option because I’m a Leadership and Success Coach. Partnering with a friend is helpful, yet some want anonymity in their journey.

I’ve worked with people from all across the nation with diverse backgrounds.

Whether you work with me or someone else, an accountability partner keeps you on track. Sometimes road bumps show up and you’ll need help keeping the focus and commitment.

The Rest of the Story

There’s something I didn’t mention in the helicopter story above… I had a person behind me in the aircraft. He was the guy that would later hoist me back into the helicopter. He was also an undefined accountability partner. If I froze at the sight of treacherous sea conditions, or if I lacked the commitment, he would have pushed me out.

When I left the door and dropped into the sea below, I couldn’t say, “Wait a minute… the water’s too cold. This is not for me.” The helicopter flew away. It was up to me to stay afloat and continue on.

Challenges come, and it’s easy to return to old habits and beliefs. Stay focused. Even the best of us find road bumps from time to time. With the right mindset, we can step over them. Every day we have fresh opportunities to learn, apply new skills and move forward. Keep the courage and renew your commitment every single day.

There is an effort that comes with creating successful living. That effort is your commitment to achieving your best life. You then create successful habits and the quality of your life moves toward the positive.

⭐️ About the Author

Anthony M. Davis is a Leadership, Success & Stress Coach, Board Certified Therapist, Top-100 International Travel Photographer. As a Coach, he helps people just like you overcome obstacles & reach their goals. His free book, “Keys to Your Success” is available now.

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