Post by judyb on Mar 30, 2018 5:08:56 GMT -5
COMMITMENT, PERSISTENCE, VICTORY!
I used to think that I knew what commitment and persistence meant.
Trying hard. Making a lot of attempts. However, I didn't grasp the
true meaning of these concepts until I read a small book entitled,
The Ultimate Secret To Getting Absolutely Everything You Want,
by Mike Hernacki.
Commitment is the essence of The Ultimate Secret. According to
the author, the key to getting what you want is the "willingness to
do whatever it takes" to accomplish your objective. Now, before your
mind jumps to conclusions, let me add that in saying "whatever it
takes," I exclude all actions which are illegal, unethical or which
harm other people.
So, exactly what do I mean by this "willingness?" Let me explain
further. It's a mental attitude which says: if the process to reach
my goal takes five steps, I'll do those five steps; if it requires 1,005
steps, I'll do those 1,005 steps. Of course, at the outset of any
endeavor, you usually won't know exactly how many steps will be
required to reach your goal. This doesn't matter. To succeed, all
that's necessary is that you make a commitment to do whatever it
takes - regardless of the number of steps involved.
Where does persistence fit in? Persistent action follows commitment
- that is, you first must be committed to something before you will
persist to achieve it. Once you have made a commitment to achieve
your goal, then you will follow through with relentless determination
and action until you attain the desired result.
The "Magic" of Commitment
When you make a commitment and are willing to do whatever it takes,
you begin to attract the people and circumstances necessary to
accomplish your goal. For instance, once you devote yourself to
becoming, say, a best-selling author, you might suddenly "bump into"
a literary agent or "discover" a television program offering advice
on this very topic. It's not as if these resources never existed
before, it's just that your mind never focused on finding them.
Once you commit yourself to something, you create a mental picture
of what it would be like to achieve it. Then, your mind immediately
goes to work, like a magnet, attracting events and circumstances
which will help bring your picture into reality. This is not an
overnight process, however; you must be active and seize the
opportunities as they appear.
The magic which flows from commitment has never been more
eloquently or more accurately described than in the following words
by W. N. Murray: "Until one is committed there is hesitancy, the
chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness.... The moment one
definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts
of things occur to help one that would otherwise never have occurred. A
whole stream of events issue from the decision, raising in one's favor
all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance,
which no man could have dreamt would have come his way."
Another miraculous feature of the power of commitment is that you
don't need to know up front how to achieve your goal. Having a plan
will greatly assist you, but it is not essential that every step be
mapped out in advance. In fact, when you have the willingness to
do whatever it takes, the right steps are often suddenly revealed
to you.
A Word of Caution
Before you get too excited about waltzing easily toward your goals,
I caution you. Even with a commitment, everything will not be rosy
on your path. Life will test you to see how serious you are about
achieving your objective. Obstacles will arise. You'll make mistakes
and suffer disappointments and setbacks, some of which may be quite
severe and even tempt you to abandon your goal. That's when it
becomes important to follow the sage wisdom of Winston Churchill,
who said: "Never, never, never give up." Or the advice provided by
Madonna in one of her hit songs: "You get up again... over and over!"
If you have made a commitment to accomplish a goal, you can
overcome temporary defeats... and triumph.
Now, let's assume you have a goal in mind. The next question to
ask yourself is: Am I willing to do whatever it takes to achieve
this goal? If your answer is: I'll do just about anything, except
that I won't do _____, you are not willing to do whatever it takes. And
the likelihood is that you will be derailed and not achieve your
objective.
Take Action!
Now that you've learned about the power of commitment, it's time to
apply the principle. So, go ahead. Select a goal which you have a
burning desire to achieve. Make a commitment to do whatever it takes
to achieve this goal. Start moving forward and get ready to notice
and take advantage of all opportunities which come your way. Then
follow through with persistent action and get ready to succeed!
Jeff Keller
Attitude is Everything, Inc.
I used to think that I knew what commitment and persistence meant.
Trying hard. Making a lot of attempts. However, I didn't grasp the
true meaning of these concepts until I read a small book entitled,
The Ultimate Secret To Getting Absolutely Everything You Want,
by Mike Hernacki.
Commitment is the essence of The Ultimate Secret. According to
the author, the key to getting what you want is the "willingness to
do whatever it takes" to accomplish your objective. Now, before your
mind jumps to conclusions, let me add that in saying "whatever it
takes," I exclude all actions which are illegal, unethical or which
harm other people.
So, exactly what do I mean by this "willingness?" Let me explain
further. It's a mental attitude which says: if the process to reach
my goal takes five steps, I'll do those five steps; if it requires 1,005
steps, I'll do those 1,005 steps. Of course, at the outset of any
endeavor, you usually won't know exactly how many steps will be
required to reach your goal. This doesn't matter. To succeed, all
that's necessary is that you make a commitment to do whatever it
takes - regardless of the number of steps involved.
Where does persistence fit in? Persistent action follows commitment
- that is, you first must be committed to something before you will
persist to achieve it. Once you have made a commitment to achieve
your goal, then you will follow through with relentless determination
and action until you attain the desired result.
The "Magic" of Commitment
When you make a commitment and are willing to do whatever it takes,
you begin to attract the people and circumstances necessary to
accomplish your goal. For instance, once you devote yourself to
becoming, say, a best-selling author, you might suddenly "bump into"
a literary agent or "discover" a television program offering advice
on this very topic. It's not as if these resources never existed
before, it's just that your mind never focused on finding them.
Once you commit yourself to something, you create a mental picture
of what it would be like to achieve it. Then, your mind immediately
goes to work, like a magnet, attracting events and circumstances
which will help bring your picture into reality. This is not an
overnight process, however; you must be active and seize the
opportunities as they appear.
The magic which flows from commitment has never been more
eloquently or more accurately described than in the following words
by W. N. Murray: "Until one is committed there is hesitancy, the
chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness.... The moment one
definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts
of things occur to help one that would otherwise never have occurred. A
whole stream of events issue from the decision, raising in one's favor
all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance,
which no man could have dreamt would have come his way."
Another miraculous feature of the power of commitment is that you
don't need to know up front how to achieve your goal. Having a plan
will greatly assist you, but it is not essential that every step be
mapped out in advance. In fact, when you have the willingness to
do whatever it takes, the right steps are often suddenly revealed
to you.
A Word of Caution
Before you get too excited about waltzing easily toward your goals,
I caution you. Even with a commitment, everything will not be rosy
on your path. Life will test you to see how serious you are about
achieving your objective. Obstacles will arise. You'll make mistakes
and suffer disappointments and setbacks, some of which may be quite
severe and even tempt you to abandon your goal. That's when it
becomes important to follow the sage wisdom of Winston Churchill,
who said: "Never, never, never give up." Or the advice provided by
Madonna in one of her hit songs: "You get up again... over and over!"
If you have made a commitment to accomplish a goal, you can
overcome temporary defeats... and triumph.
Now, let's assume you have a goal in mind. The next question to
ask yourself is: Am I willing to do whatever it takes to achieve
this goal? If your answer is: I'll do just about anything, except
that I won't do _____, you are not willing to do whatever it takes. And
the likelihood is that you will be derailed and not achieve your
objective.
Take Action!
Now that you've learned about the power of commitment, it's time to
apply the principle. So, go ahead. Select a goal which you have a
burning desire to achieve. Make a commitment to do whatever it takes
to achieve this goal. Start moving forward and get ready to notice
and take advantage of all opportunities which come your way. Then
follow through with persistent action and get ready to succeed!
Jeff Keller
Attitude is Everything, Inc.