COMMITMENT

Yesterday, I read my John Maxwell Leadership devotional & the topic was on commitment. This got me thinking considering that my last post was about taking on a new year (conducting an appraisal, setting SMART goals, etc), but all of this will amount to nothing if you don’t have the commitment to see it through.

Cambridge English Dictionary defines commitment as “A willingness to give your time and energy to something that you believe in, or a promise or firm decision to do something“.  You must have the desire to achieve that goal & dedicate time & energy to it because you believe so much in it.

Denzel Washington says “dreams without goals are just dreams, but goals cant be achieved without discipline & consistency”

It takes a lot of discipline & consistency to achieve a goal or complete a task. Last year, I was really inspired by my brother-in-law who made a commitment to run every single day (366 days) of 2016 & he achieved it.

He would post pictures on social media everyday with his running crew & they did this all through the year, it didn’t matter if he was feeling sick, weak or tired, whether it was raining or snowing, he woke up every single day & achieved that goal.

A fellow blogger ( Ben Nadel) was making a comment about a line in the movie “Keeping the Faith” starring Ben Stiller, Ed Norton & Jenna Elfman, the line says “You cannot make a real commitment unless you accept that it’s a choice that you keep making again and again and again”.

Marriage is a major commitment & I know it’s not just a feeling, but a choice you make every single day, again & again, I’ve been married for 11 years & it’s one of the most amazing goals I’ve achieved in my life & it took a total 100% commitment.

ILIKETOQUOTE.COM clarifies this more it says “Commitment means staying LOYAL to what you said you were going TO DO, long after the MOOD you said it in has left you”

Commitment comes before anything else in a leader’s life & according to Peter Drucker, the plan to achieve one’s goal can only come to play after commitment otherwise all you have are just promises & hopes. It takes commitment to transform a promise into a reality!

There is a story in the bible about Nehemiah & the Jews as regards their goal of rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem & how despite the opposition & intimidation from Tobiah & Sanballat, they finished rebuilding the wall in 52 days.  There are 52 weeks in a year, taking a day for a week we can also glean from this account & adapt it to our new year as we set those goals.

Four (4) Key points to note:

1. Have a Compelling Purpose:  As a King Artaxerxes’ cup-bearer in Susa, Nehemiah had a  great desire for the wall of Jerusalem to be built. He found a compelling purpose in this as it was going to be a fulfilment of God’s promise. What are those goals you intend to achieve this year? Are they compelling enough to drive you to total commitment? Do you want to loose weight? Save money to buy that dream car? Go on that vacation? Complete reading the entire Bible? etc, If the WHY is compelling enough, you will be committed to the HOW of getting it done.

2. Have a Clear Perspective: Nehemiah didn’t allow doubt or fear to cloud their view of the goal. They had a clear perspective. Please be aware that there will be reasons to doubt & fear, the enemy is out there to ensure that you fail. You must set before you a vision of that future, you also must work out the details…this is the HOW, Nehemiah knew how he was going to achieve his goal & exactly what he need to get it done. If you are loosing weight, get a picture of that dress size you want to fit into by Christmas, work out the amount of calories you need to burn to achieve this. If you are longing to buy a car, get a picture of that car as your screensaver & start to get information about the specifications of that car. Know the exact cost of the car & how much you need to save monthly to get it. If you are going on vacation, start to Google about the VISA requirements, cost of ticket & hotel, get information about interesting spots to visit. Keep a clear perspective of where you are going & the details of how you are getting there.

3.Continue to Pray: Nehemiah & his people were constantly praying throughout this encounter. They put their total trust in God. They didn’t know the future, but they put their trust in THE ONE that owns the future. Commit your ways to God in prayer & He will surely guide you in your ways Ps37:5(NLT)

4. Have a Courageous Persistence:  Despite the opposition & intimidation, Nehemiah & the people moved ahead. At some point they had to carry a weapon in one hand & work with the other just to ensure that nothing stops them. Nehemiah 4:17

Nehemiah had total commitment & he inspired the people to the same level so much so that despite the issues they faced, their great accomplishment so thrilled Nehemiah that he wrote, “When all our enemies heard of it, and all the nations around us saw these things…they were very disheartened in their own eyes; for they perceived that this work was done by our God” (Neh. 6:16).

You have 52 weeks in 2017 to achieve your goals, are you going to be committed to achieving them?

This is my snippet. I AM SHALOMESQ!!!