The Difference between Being Interested versus Committed
“Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans. That the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves, too.”
When one is not committed, anything can happen. If you want SOMETHING to happen, something specific, you must commit. We've touched a little bit on the difference between being committed and just being interested in your financial well-being.
Here's a little bit about what being interested looks like: It looks like excitement that doesn't last. It looks like taking a few actions in the direction of your goal, but then ceasing the actions once they stop being interesting. Being interested leaves a back door open for you to walk away from the life of your dreams.
How many times have you started on a dream and then given up before it came to fruition? It’s totally normal, it happens all of the time. You can learn from these experiences, nothing is lost. However if you really want to get to a lifestyle that you adore, you will have to take yourself through the finish line. A warrior goes through the finish line! Letting up steam before the finish line is a sure way to almost meet your goal. It is easy to quit early and blame it on circumstances. If this is the first time you've ever taken on creating a lifestyle that you really want and transforming your finances and your world, there's a good chance that it'll take longer than you think it should. This is where the value of commitment comes in. When you are committed you will summon the stamina to work through the resistance that will inevitably come up. When you are committed, you are giving your word, heart and soul to your vision.
How does one truly commit? First, start by getting in touch with your WHY. Your why can be financial freedom or full self expression. Look into your heart and soul for what you yearn for. You want to create a future that is big enough to make you expand, something that calls you into BEING. Hint: It’s not a big enough why to just want a new car, there isn’t enough LIFE in a new car. A why that is big enough typically includes fulfillment of some kind and usually, other people. Hint: If you want to be of service to others in some way, you might have a big enough why. Typically, your why has to be big enough such that you become a different person to have it. If you are thinking that you also must know the HOW, you don’t. This is where most get caught up and stop creating their why. The how doesn't matter as much as your why. The HOW arises over time and is birthed by the largess of your why. If I feel like quitting or giving up on my big dream, I think about my why and then I take the next right action. You don‘t need to grow in leaps and bounds, but you must keep taking steps. If something occurs that seems like it's reason enough to quit, first stop for a bit, take a deep breath and if you need it, take a nap. Then, once you are refreshed, feel into your why once again and let it call you toward it. Break down your why into bite-sized pieces and keep taking small bites. One day at a time, big dreams are made real. But if you quit, then you will be back at square one - or worse.
It requires a great deal of energy to get a 747 jet up into the air, then to land the plane when you feel like quitting. Taking off again requires more energy, landing again, taking off again - you get the picture. If you can take off and keep the plane at a reasonable elevation, you will use less energy and get further. This is not to say that every day you'll be flying high, some days won't feel so good, but that doesn't mean you give yourself a license to quit. One of the benefits of sticking with your commitment to having financial well-being is you will make progress, which will inspire you - if you stick with your why and your plan. Inspiration is a function of ACTION, not the other way around.
Often, people will base their actions on how they feel. Instead of going on your feelings, I invite you to base your actions on what you are committed to. Feelings are like farts, they have to come out but then they float away. If you base your entire financial world on your feelings you won't get very far. If you base anything on your feelings you will constantly be caught in a swirl of emotion rather than staying on a trajectory of success.
Here are six ways that you can demonstrate your commitment to yourself and to your financial big dream:
1. Write down your big dream. The physical act of writing helps connect the brain and the heart.. Write down what you want your life to look like at the end of the year, or at the end of next year. Ask yourself: what people, places, or things are around you What events have occurred? Where do you live? What do you do all day? What are the qualities that your life is made up of? What are you eating? What are you seeing? Use all of your senses to create your big, beautiful WHY! Activate your whole glorious body and mind.
2. My why also includes qualities, such as community, freedom, service, and joy. These are the measuring sticks to which all of my choices and actions are measured. On the days where I feel like it's just too hard or I'm not smart enough, I look at the qualities that I have committed to experiencing and I do what I can today and I leave the rest for tomorrow. Qualities are things that can never be hurt, harmed or destroyed. Having a list of qualities gives your why flavor and shape, beyond the world of physicality.
3. Exercise your commitment by putting in your calendar what actions you will be taking every week until the goal is reached. Think with the end in mind and work backwards from there. For example, if you want to be debt free by December 2025, what would you need to have done by November 2025 in order for that reality to arise? What actions would you need to take by October 2025 to get out of debt? (One of those actions is what we suggested last week is to define what your assets and your liabilities are) Perhaps you focus on paying down a credit card and if it makes sense for your credit score, to close that card. Perhaps it means cooking food at home versus eating out. One action might be inviting friends over to hang out instead of going out. There are lots of ways to live within your means and that is just one action that you can take to express your commitment to being debt-free by December 2025.
4. Activate your commitment by getting into communication about it. Tell people who are in your corner, what you are up to! Life lives inside of conversation. If you're not talking about it then how can the world know that that's who they're dealing with? How can you get support if no one knows what you're creating? So much is available inside of teamwork and communication. You may think that this journey is yours alone, but none of us actually create our lives in a vacuum. You'll be surprised at the resources and connections that will come to your assistance when you stand firm footed in your end result and share with others what you are creating. It is an inspiring stance and it will inspire others to want you to have that big dream and to want to support you. You may even inspire them to stand for their dream lifestyle. They may even become someone on your team and you could support each other to get where you're headed. You don't have to do this alone.
5. The next effective action is to hire a coach. A coach can help you clearly define your why and to decipher the effective actions you can take to get to your financial big dream. Perspective is worth paying for! You don't need to recreate the wheel. Having help and perspective from someone who has been down the road that you want to traverse will save you time, money and energy. You will achieve your big dream much faster!
6. Finally, a most important practice you can take on inside of your commitment is to KEEP GOING. Don't stop taking the actions you said you were going to take. If you don't feel like it, do it anyway. You must break through the limiting emotions and beliefs in order to get to the lifestyle of your dreams. I'm not talking about beating up on yourself here, if beating up on yourself worked, you would have already reached your big dream!. What I'm talking about is taking the actions in spite of fear, in spite of feeling ignorant, in spite of not knowing how. You don't need to see the whole road when you're driving from LA to New York. You just need to have a map or some kind of guidance, to see what's right in front of you, to focus on the next bit of road, and to keep driving. If you get tired and take the next exit and you turn back toward home, you will not get there!
I want you to get there. I want you to get to a life that makes you happy to wake up to, a life where you have fulfillment and joy and are surrounded by people who support you and care for you. I want you to have the life of your dreams. I hope you let me help you.
