CONFIRM YOUR COMMITMENT
One of the most obvious and most important ways those we consider champions separate themselves from everyone else is in the commitments they keep. Most people are pretty good, of course, at making commitments. Not nearly as many are good at keeping them. Marriage and divorce rates in our country validate that fact. Almost 50% of marriages in the U.S. end in divorce, not because the bride and groom weren’t serious when they made that initial commitment. Marriages fail because at least one person in the relationship didn’t keep that commitment. The same principle applies to the relationship each of us has with winning in the important areas of our own lives.
What I'm saying is that real commitment is measured not by what you say, but by what you do. The champion’s commitment to winning is constantly being validated by the choices they make and by the behaviors they exhibit, typically even long after the mood in which they stated their initial intention has left. In any winning pursuit - including yours - actions speak louder than words. That’s probably what Benjamin Franklin was emphasizing when he famously concluded that “well done is better than well said.”
So that’s the challenge each of us faces in the areas of life and performance where we want to win. In relationships, in sports, in business. At home, at school, or at work. Our responsibility each day, including here today, is to confirm our commitment, to validate - through the choices we make and the behaviors we exhibit - that we are willing to do more than just say we want to win. Our job is to prove that we're the kind of people who are willing to do what winning requires. Here are three practical ways each of us can confirm that commitment today…
1. Do what's unrequired. Every meaningful pursuit in life has a minimum list of obligations that come with it. Most people look at that list of required work as the place their responsibility ends, but champions recognize that’s actually just the beginning. Real commitment is demonstrated in the decision you make to go above and beyond, and to do more than just the minimum. It’s worth stopping here today to consider what work fits into the “unrequired” category, where you can put in some extra effort, and how you can use it to prove how much you care.
2. Do what’s uncomfortable or inconvenient. In this world enamored with instant gratification, each of us has been conditioned to avoid anything labeled uncomfortable or inconvenient. It's human nature. But when it comes to confirming your commitment, this stuff - the uncomfortable or inconvenient stuff - offers some of the most powerful proof you can provide. Doing the things winning requires you to do, even when and maybe especially when you don’t feel like it, is one of the most effective ways to separate yourself from those you’re competing with and against, and one of the most effective ways to earn the success you say you’re after.
3. Do what doesn’t get seen or celebrated. The harsh reality of high achievement in any area of life is that the journey is comprised mostly of unremarkable moments. It’s easy to show up and give your best when you find yourself under the bright lights of the big stage, when everyone’s watching. But people who are worthy of winning take that same winning approach to the work they’re doing on their own, alone in the dark. Real commitment is driven by our commitment to the cause, not the applause.
Remember, it’s not about the commitments you make. It’s about the commitments you keep. Actions speak louder than words, and well done is better than well said. So wherever it is you say you want to win, focus on the doing. Commit to the unrequired work, to the work that's uncomfortable or inconvenient, and to the work that no one else sees or celebrates. And while you're at it, don’t just make doing those things enough. Do them with great effort and a positive attitude, because you know that you are confirming your commitment, and validating once again that you are the kind of person who does more than just says they want to win. You're proving you're the kind of person who’s willing to do what winning requires.
