Taking the Plunge: Commitment

Wouldn't life be easier if everything was black and white, if the pros of one life choice outweighed the cons so heavily that our decisions were essentially made for us? This, unfortunately, is rarely the case - and thus we are often faced with huge choices that are agonizing to make. You take the leap and move to another city, for example, and lose regular contact with old friends and family - but gain new opportunities. Every step in the right direction has its drawbacks, there's just no way to avoid it. The best we can do is carefully consider our options, and once we feel one is pulling is in a certain direction we have to take the leap -regardless of uncertainties.

This decision to take a "leap of faith" is, essentially, commitment. You might have small doubts, for example, whether you have what it takes to open your own business. But if you make a firm decision that it's what you truly want, and take all the necessary steps to minimize that doubt, you've made a commitment. And making that commitment is the only way you are going to make it work - if you half-heartedly decide to do something but aren't truly dedicated, you'll make a dash for the backdoor the moment anything goes wrong. (This, by the way, can be applied to relationships as well.) If you decide beforehand what will make you throw in the towel (in business, it might be lack of funds; in a relationship, lack of respect from your partner), you'll be better prepared for the smaller challenges that come your way. If you wait for guarantees that everything will go smoothly, you'll never take the plunge!

by T.L. Scribe