Countdown to Commitment

Hello Friend,

What is one of - if not the hardest thing to do in life? COMMIT. Commit to what? Commit to anything - a job, an assignment on that job, a relationship ... whatever.When I was very young I created a system to MAKE me commit to action. It could have been anything; asking my dad for a few extra bucks or taking the plunge to kiss a girl. As an adult, it might be asking for a raise or a promotion - it might even still be taking the plunge to kiss that pretty girl. The bottom line is that sometimes things in life aren't easy to do. Hell, in life, there are a LOT of things that are not easy to do; however, I have also learned (and always say) that just because something is difficult to do, that does not mean it is impossible to do.

What I would do when I decided that I wanted to take a certain action, but still had butterflies about it, I would say to myself, "okay ... let's countdown from 10 to 1. When I reach 1, either I'm going to do it or I'm not."

So I would count down in my mind, and during that countdown I would be doing two things. Part of me would be building up the nerve to do it (my emotional side), while another part of me would be quickly going through the pro's and con's of doing it - or not (my logical side). By the time I reached "1,", my decision was made and I acted accordingly.

This is like the pre-leap leading up to the leap of faith. Imagine yourself standing on the high diving board looking down into the pool, with the pool representing the reaching of your goal. Look at the water. See your goal. Count down from 10 to 1, then dive ... or not.

You might not be ready to dive, and that's okay. If you need a little more time, give yourself another countdown - but this time, count down from 5 to 1, not 10. What you're doing is psyching yourself up and sort of forcing yourself to commit. If after that second countdown you still feel unready to dive (commit), take a deep breath and come off the diving board. There's no shame in not being ready. The only shame is in never getting back up on that diving board.

Take some time. Evaluate your situation, your goal, & your tactics towards achievement. Make whatever changes need to be made to insure your decision has more pro's than con's, and then get back up on that diving board. However, success in life is about timing. When you go to get back up on that board you might find that LIFE has either made the pool deeper or the board higher than when you were on it the first time. SO WHAT?! Don't let that scare you any more than you may be already.

Just take a deep breath and count down. Count down to commitment.

10,
9,
8,
7,
6,
5,
4,
3,
2,
1 ... COMMIT!

Remember ...

FORTUNE FAVORS THE BRAVE!!