the people that are committed are busy
doing it the people that don’t feel
worthy of it like a guy I talked to last
night who told me hey I sure like to do
what you’re doing however I just don’t
want the responsibility the company I
work for they’re taking good care of me
I said let me tell you something once
you increase your sense of worthiness
you won’t even be able to open your
mouth saying that somebody is taking
care of you you want to take care of
yourself to see because he doesn’t feel
worthy he’s intelligent 17 years from
major corporation they’ve spent
thousands of dollars training him he
knows he has the book knowledge but his
attitude is his vision of himself his
sense of deserving this says you can’t
have that so he will fabricate all kinds
of excuses on why I can’t have it Robert
Anthony said something well briefly said
that you can only have two things in
life reasons or results notice reasons
don’t count I like that folks will
always point out reasons on why they are
not living their dream on why they’re
not manifesting their greatness they
will always be able to point those
things out but none of those things
count the only thing that counts the
results and results don’t lie ladies and
gentlemen they tell it all judge a tree
by the fruit that it bears not the ones
that it might talk about not the ones
that it might wish for or think about or
firm about it
but the fruit that it actually bears so
let us look I think that all of us are
committed but I think that some of us
are producing results in our lives that
that level of commitment brings that we
particularly don’t like or find
distasteful I don’t think that as a
participant in life you cannot be commit
you either commit it to mediocrity or
you commit it to greatness you either
minute to being productive or you’re
committed to being non-productive you’re
committed to being happy or you’re
committed to being unhappy see whatever
you’re doing however you spend your time
that tells you who you are so think
about what it is you like to create in
your life experience once I look at how
you commit your time once I do an
evaluation on how you spend your time I
can tell you exactly what you’re
committed to people that say they have
dreams or want to open a business or
want to do something differently than
what they’re now doing they don’t like
their jobs are unhappy they’re
unfulfilled people say they want to
improve their income level look at how
they spend their time how they spend
their time the commitment of their time
how they use that that will really tell
the truth people who said I’d like to do
better but you don’t find them in
vocational or technical schools
upgrading their skills and their
knowledge how they spend their time that
will tell you what’s going on people who
say they want to normalize their weight
they want to be healthy but every time
you see them they’re eating that will
tell you that they’re committed to being
obese for the rest of their lives people
tell you they want to stop smoking and
they’re lighting up at that time focus
say I want to stop drinking and every
time you’re in their face they’re
reeking with alcohol that will tell you
what’s going on don’t have to listen to
what they say just watch what they do
commitment shows up in your life in what
you do on the other hand you can make
the commitment to your life but you
don’t like the results that you have and
that you’re going to do something about
it see that power is available to all of
us
people who look at life and decide I
want something different for myself
Carol Hatfield Carol lives in Detroit
single mother decided that she wanted to
go into her own business did not have
enough money to do it she wanted to have
a health food store she sold her car and
used the money to start in a little
storefront a little hole in the wall
she rode to work on a bicycle and then
when she got enough money she she bought
a motor scooter and did that for a long
time
she’s now very successful person she now
has three health food stores she said it
was hard as
struggle less she said but I did it she
said I made the commitment to do it and
I did it why is it that people are
frightened by commitment because when
you say the word commitment that
intimidates a lot of people why because
it means you have to deliver see most
people you ask him Hey look here I liked
you to do this they’ll say I’ll try I’ll
try means that is my escape clause when
I don’t come through it’s really a
polite no I don’t have the courage to
tell you no so I’ll tell you I’ll try
they look at I need you to come to this
meeting I’ll try say what do you mean
you’re gonna lean toward the meeting try
and sit down you either do it you don’t
try and take this pencil out of my hand
you either do or you don’t it’s no such
thing as try so most people like to use
that language they don’t want to commit
themselves because commitment means
among many things no excuse is
acceptable that’s what it means no
excuse that if you decided that you want
to do this if it becomes hard then do it
hard if it difficult so what if it’s
inconvenient so much yeah a lot of
people made a commitment to come here
tonight but they looked outside and said
it’s rainy the temperature dropped it’s
cold outside and they decide to give up
on their commitment and that’s how
people do about their dreams they don’t
honor their commitment to themselves let
me tell you what happens when you when
you don’t keep your commitment number
one it begins to deplete your your
self-esteem and it erodes your
self-image it weakens your faith in
yourself you don’t feel good when you
don’t keep your commitments the other
thing is that you begin to develop weak
relationships with people people begin
to realize they can’t depend up on you
they can’t rely on you because you won’t
keep your word you’ve established that
kind of reputation just think what would
your life be like if you decided to keep
your commitments what will all of our
lives be like if we decided to keep our
commitments but we decided to do the
things and we said that we were going to
do that we wouldn’t even speak it unless
we were going to do it if we decided
just for a week just see what your life
can be like just let’s do it for a
commitment to make make it a seven-day
commitment that I won’t say I will do
anything unless I’m going to do it and
find out what your life will be like let
me tell you what if you follow it
through if you keep your commitment to
the commitment at the end of the seven
days you feel strong and powerful
because by honoring your commitment each
time that you do that empowers you
whatever discipline that is required
whatever it is that you must do so I’m
suggesting number one commit yourself to
live in the present
I saw the movie um the Dead Poets
Society Robin Williams and had a lioness
seize the moment many of us are not able
to move forward and develop and manifest
our greatness because we spent so much
time looking back or worrying about the
future seize the moment see you cannot
go into the future and manifest your
greatness when you have various things
in your life that’s blocking you let’s
look at how we can begin to keep our
commitments remembering what dr. Robert
Anthony said about results when you keep
your commitments you’re able to produce
some different kinds of results in your
life so how can we keep our commitments
and do we keep all commitments no we
don’t you will not be at 100% however
you will have a greater percentage rate
of maintaining your commitments to
yourself whatever those things might be
if it’s going into business if it’s if
it’s changing a habit that you know that
works against you if it’s overcoming
self-destructive behavior if it’s
retraining your thinking if it’s
reinventing yourself if it’s trying to
begin to design your relationship
differently all of us have a possibility
by focusing and really harnessing
attention and concentrating on it we
really have available to us the power to
honor our commitments in those
particular areas so number one make it
priority see no one would go get on an
airplane if you thought your chances of
getting there to your destination we’re
as good as your luggage
am I correct see and I say the reason
that you will reach your destination
more times in your luggage will is
because the airline and I’m glad that
they do has made it a priority to move
the human beings from one point to the
other safely not send you off to Boston
or someplace with your luggage so I’m
not really upset when my luggage doesn’t
show up I’m glad they delivered me
because they’ve made me a priority see
they have made delivering you to your
destination important so if you want to
honor your commitment whatever you
decide that you’re going to do make sure
you make it important make sure it is
priority keep it before you the other
thing is whatever that you want to do
whatever you want to begin to create and
beginning to manifest your greatness and
and strengthening your level of
commitment and it’s it’s really
exercising your will find something that
you want to do on your goal one action
step but make sure it stretches you that
it challenges you but it’s doable that
you can do it this year I decided that I
was going to exercise so I started out
doing just ten set ups and ten push ups
I know I can do that and not get upset
about it I can do that without thinking
so I started out small now I’m up to
fifty but if I try to do fifty starting
out I wouldn’t still be doing it so I
started doing it in manageable segments
do that and that that strengthens your
will so my commitment now is stripping
and fortified by the activity of
actually doing it so now I can expand
and build from there when I decided to
begin to manage my
money differently and I started saving
5% of my money
then I increased it to 10% then to 15%
so now I have disciplined myself to live
off 75 percent of my income that took
discipline to do that but I started
watching how I was spending my money I
start keeping a log and following myself
so you want to begin to find something
that is manageable that you know that
you can do the next thing in beginning
to to keep your commitments to yourself
have some friends that will hold you
accountable that won’t let you off the
hook that won’t tolerate anything less
than the best from you people that will
support you in this new way of being in
this new state of consciousness the
other thing is that important is have a
contingency plan see many times when you
make a commitment to do something there
are some other variables that will
happen that you can’t control or you
perhaps did not think about so you want
to have some other plans going on you
want to become creative see most people
don’t keep their commitments because
when something goes wrong they just stop
they don’t have a contingency plan so
they don’t know what to do next stop
being creative if you challenge yourself
many chapters say I don’t know what to
do and I always ask myself but if you
did know what to do less what will it be
that activates another part of my mind
I’ll stop thinking about the
possibilities and just experimenting but
many many of us just stop dead in our
tracks I don’t know what to do you do
know what to do you’ve got genius in you
challengers have pushed yourself make
yourself come up with something use your
imagination and what you will find is
that you know more than you realize that
you know that you’re more creative and
more resourceful than you realize that
you are and as you do that the more you
do it the easier it will become at first
it’s going to be a struggle and after
you get into a certain level of
consciousness you will ask yourself how
is it that I didn’t see this before at
the level that I’m managing my business
now they say consciousness is what we
are I literally look at myself and say
how is it that I
do this before why is it that I couldn’t
see this before and the reason that I
didn’t see it before because I did
myself I didn’t put myself out here see
the reason that most of us go through
life never discovering our true
greatness literally walking breathing
corpses the uncommitted life isn’t worth
living why because it doesn’t produce
anything so you only make things happen
your life only counts you only make a
difference when you are committed when
you make a commitment with your life
that’s the people that make a commitment
with their lives the people that make a
commitment to their customers the people
that make a commitment to their families
to their relationships are the people
that make the greatest impact in life
what does commitment commitment as the
salesman who says look here I’m going to
make a thousand dollars today and I’m
not going home you can turn the lights
out the generators could be here running
the vacuum cleaner I’m not leaving here
till I do it I used to be a door-to-door
salesman I had X number of TVs I had a
minimum amount that I knew I had to sell
every day in order to provide for my
mother who was ill at the time who’d
lost her job at the M&M cafeteria
because of arthritis and I said I’m
going to go door to door and sometimes I
would not come home until 1:00 o’clock
at night knocking on people door people
closing what do you want would you like
to buy a nice working month’s television
set no money down no what about an
emerson TV No thank you very much do you
know anybody else that would be
interested no thank you very kindly not
going another hello would you like to
buy a nice working television set no
money down no get away from our door
thank you very kindly do you know
anybody else would be yeah my cousin he
lives two doors down thank you very
kindly I tell him you simply went ahead
your cousin told me that you want to buy
televisions that told me to come here
and talk to you got a special discount
for you yes come in I’m interested I
would just keep right on I would not go
home until I did it it’s an interesting
thing ladies and gentlemen that when we
put ourselves in a situation where we
say we’re going to do it
it puts you in another zone where the
universe responds to you when you have
that kind of consciousness see the
universe responds to the man or woman
that refuses to be denied because that
is your commitment that business that
you want that book you want to write
that dream that you have of controlling
your destiny that is yours that power to
create there and to manifest that that
is yours that’s available to you but
you’ve got to be willing to stand there
and face disappointment not have support
feel lonely doubt yourself sometimes be
rejected again and again and again
become bankrupt if necessary again and
again and again and refuse to turn
around until life gives it up nothing
can resist a person that has that kind
of commitment the people that have made
a difference on the planet when a John F
Kennedy said we will go to the moon and
the next decade he spoke it that was a
commitment and people shared that vision
people bought into that we’ve had all
kind of examples in history where people
have made declarations who have
committed their lives to bring about a
difference their people are taking a
stand today against hunger I guarantee
you it will be a part of our past at
some point in time someone took a stand
against polio it no longer plagues us as
it once did because someone said it is
my commitment to eradicate it from the
face of the earth someone made the
commitment the reason that we here and
enjoying the democracy that we have
someone made a commitment that whatever
is required if it means that I die I’ve
remembered Paul Robeson here I stand for
I can do no other and that’s how you
must be commitment means standing up for
your life
it means honoring yourself it means it
means beginning to say and to see and
recognize your alignment and oneness
with the universe and that you are a
channel for life to express through and
we short-circuited with anger
we short-circuit it with fear we
short-circuit it with with envy we
short-circuited by being lazy or
apathetic or giving up easily why why
why we’re always too hard is too hard we
don’t challenge our spirit ladies and
gentlemen there’s nothing is powerful as
the human spirit you can’t destroy you
can pervert it but you can’t destroy I
was reading man’s search for meaning
perfect of wrinkle what a powerful book
I’m reading it now for the seventh time
and he gives so many graphic examples of
of the power of the human spirit and so
what are some of the things that can can
fortify us and and give us the kind of
inner strength that will allow us to
forward ourselves into the future by
manifesting our commitments number one
commitment means in some cases going
back to school getting some training
sitting up in classes with people
younger than you putting yourself in a
position where you don’t know and that
is awkward and uncomfortable but because
of your commitment to develop yourself
or to go back to school to get a high
school diploma to get a college degree
that it doesn’t matter feeling dumb and
saying what am I doing here sitting up
in some boring class commitment could
mean a lot of things it could mean that
you begin to go back you got to back up
sometimes leads to back up and not give
up to regroup back up and regroup and
come back again because life is waylaid
you because you got knocked down I know
when when I was working on my dream
there were times I lost my house at one
point I lost my car
I was broke my credit was bad I was
sleeping at different friends houses on
their couch or on the floor there were
times months that I slept on the floor
of my office and got up early and
dressed before my staff got there to
give them the impression that I got
there early before they did
and we all pretend not to know what we
knew that the boss was staying in office
so we never talked about it but I refuse
I refuse to give up on my dream and what
happened they say you know in the
prosperous years you put it in your
pocket in the lean years you put it in
your heart it makes me appreciate it
even more even more I wouldn’t trade it
I wouldn’t trade it for anything the
disappointment the pain that I’ve gone
through by keeping the commitment
keeping the commitments that you have
might mean taking a stand that’s that’s
unpopular something was said one time
when you take a position says cowardice
ask the question is it safe politics
asks the question is it popular but
conscience or commitment asks the
question isn’t right and see most people
rather operate from the first – is it
safe for me to take this position I
remember I was a state legislator I saw
guys and women who believed in
legislation very strongly but because
the Speaker of the House said we won’t
go with that they back down and they
felt bad about it they wouldn’t take the
position because they didn’t want to
speak of a house to be angry at them
they wanted to be all right we’ll all of
the rest of our colleagues see it takes
a great deal of strong courage and
commitment on your part to step out a
line – you know Henry David Thoreau says
a man doesn’t keep pace with his
companions perhaps he’s listening to the
beat of a different drummer let him
dance to the music that he hears however
measured or far apart when you are
committed you’re dancing to the beat of
a different drummer don’t expect people
to understand you don’t expect it to
make sense to anybody why you’ve got to
do this why you have got to go why you
leave this is a good job I’m going they
pay you well I’m going you just a few
years from retirement I’m going why I
don’t understand you don’t have
here’s what I suggest number one that
does happen so take total responsibility
for it just own it don’t make any
excuses and why you gave it or why you
didn’t come through just own it and face
the flak whatever it is stand up inside
yourself
next thing is assess the situation how
did you get here what happened that you
broke down that you had a breakdown and
you surrendered what happened what was
going on see when I used to go on a diet
and I no longer do that I’ve made a
commitment to a healthy lifestyle I used
to eat up until 12:00 midnight on Sunday
anything that wasn’t moving and on
Monday I would I would get up and and
and eat a fruit get a light fruit
breakfast and for lunch time I would fix
some broiled chicken and meticulously
peel the skin off and eat the chicken
and then eat the skin
do five setups look in the mirror and
become discouraged because my stomach
doesn’t look like a washboard or what
are they having Hayley dances and I say
what the use and then I go to
refrigerator and eat food cold standing
right then a refrigerator so when I
evaluate it where I broke down I realize
I can’t have junk food in the house so I
changed my route I stopped taking people
to lunch or to dinner because I couldn’t
sit there and watch them eat when I had
to go someplace in speaking they were
eating I said call me downstairs when
it’s time for me to speak because if I
said at the table looking at them the
food’s gonna call my name and I know
this so I had to begin to make sure that
I wasn’t putting myself in a position
where I would give up on my commitment
am I making sense to you so I began to
strategize around avoiding situations
where I knew that I was going to become
weak another thing I do and I don’t keep
my commitment I either deny myself
something while I do a trade-off if a
glazed doughnut takes advantage of me
then I require myself to do an extra 25
setups or I walk for an extra 15 to 20
minutes because I got a hammerlock on my
head and say come on over here so you
might have to deny yourself something or
do a trade-off do something that will
offset it the other thing is start again
so what you fell flat on your face so
what start again learn from the
experience and start again don’t count
yourself out don’t send them just up to
a lifetime of being miserable a lifetime
of being broke a lifetime of being
unhealthy a lifetime of being in a
relationship that is no longer
fulfilling to you a lifetime of living
at working on a job that that does not
bring you satisfaction that’s not giving
you the creative urge that you need and
that got to have in your life that
stimulates you don’t send us your stuff
like that you are human being don’t
volunteer your life that way your life
has too much value to the universe
you’ve got something to contribute
you’ve got something to give
and so what if you make a commitment and
you’re not able to do it like a pro but
you’re not good as everybody else live
in the moment I like what this says look
to this day for it is life the very life
of life in its brief course lie all the
realities and their ities of existence
the Bliss of growth the splendor of
action the glory of power for yesterday
is but a dream and tomorrow is only a
vision but today today well lived makes
every yesterday a dream of happiness and
every tomorrow a vision of home look
well therefore to this day see if we
just start enjoying where we are if we
make that kind of commitment to enjoy
where we are to experience the
experience of life where we are to do
all we can right now where we are forget
about the mistakes yesterday we’re
forget about all your failures yesterday
forget forget about what you don’t have
that’s not important the only thing that
we have is right now right now right now
and I say that life is calling on you to
call forth on that the optimists which I
think one of the most positive groups in
the world they have something called the
optimist Creed and I like they says
promise yourself I changed it to commit
yourself because I think that commitment
has more power than promise it says
commit yourself to be so strong that
nothing can disturb your peace of mind
to talk health happiness and prosperity
to every person you meet to make all
your friends feel that there is
something in them to look at the sunny
side of everything and make your
optimism come true to think only of the
best to work only for the best and
expect only the best to be just as
enthusiastic about the success of others
as you are about your own to forget the
mistakes of the past and press on to the
greater achievements of the future to
where cheerful continents at all times
and give every living creature you meet
a smile to give so much time to the
improvement of yourself that you have no
time to criticize others
to be too large for worry too noble for
anger too strong for fear and too happy
to permit the presence of trouble commit
yourself to these things is that
powerful what a commitment to make with
your life commit yourself to stretch to
get outside of your comfort zone and not
be concerned about what people think
about you because they’re thinking it
anyhow
doing it the people that don’t feel
worthy of it like a guy I talked to last
night who told me hey I sure like to do
what you’re doing however I just don’t
want the responsibility the company I
work for they’re taking good care of me
I said let me tell you something once
you increase your sense of worthiness
you won’t even be able to open your
mouth saying that somebody is taking
care of you you want to take care of
yourself to see because he doesn’t feel
worthy he’s intelligent 17 years from
major corporation they’ve spent
thousands of dollars training him he
knows he has the book knowledge but his
attitude is his vision of himself his
sense of deserving this says you can’t
have that so he will fabricate all kinds
of excuses on why I can’t have it Robert
Anthony said something well briefly said
that you can only have two things in
life reasons or results notice reasons
don’t count I like that folks will
always point out reasons on why they are
not living their dream on why they’re
not manifesting their greatness they
will always be able to point those
things out but none of those things
count the only thing that counts the
results and results don’t lie ladies and
gentlemen they tell it all judge a tree
by the fruit that it bears not the ones
that it might talk about not the ones
that it might wish for or think about or
firm about it
but the fruit that it actually bears so
let us look I think that all of us are
committed but I think that some of us
are producing results in our lives that
that level of commitment brings that we
particularly don’t like or find
distasteful I don’t think that as a
participant in life you cannot be commit
you either commit it to mediocrity or
you commit it to greatness you either
minute to being productive or you’re
committed to being non-productive you’re
committed to being happy or you’re
committed to being unhappy see whatever
you’re doing however you spend your time
that tells you who you are so think
about what it is you like to create in
your life experience once I look at how
you commit your time once I do an
evaluation on how you spend your time I
can tell you exactly what you’re
committed to people that say they have
dreams or want to open a business or
want to do something differently than
what they’re now doing they don’t like
their jobs are unhappy they’re
unfulfilled people say they want to
improve their income level look at how
they spend their time how they spend
their time the commitment of their time
how they use that that will really tell
the truth people who said I’d like to do
better but you don’t find them in
vocational or technical schools
upgrading their skills and their
knowledge how they spend their time that
will tell you what’s going on people who
say they want to normalize their weight
they want to be healthy but every time
you see them they’re eating that will
tell you that they’re committed to being
obese for the rest of their lives people
tell you they want to stop smoking and
they’re lighting up at that time focus
say I want to stop drinking and every
time you’re in their face they’re
reeking with alcohol that will tell you
what’s going on don’t have to listen to
what they say just watch what they do
commitment shows up in your life in what
you do on the other hand you can make
the commitment to your life but you
don’t like the results that you have and
that you’re going to do something about
it see that power is available to all of
us
people who look at life and decide I
want something different for myself
Carol Hatfield Carol lives in Detroit
single mother decided that she wanted to
go into her own business did not have
enough money to do it she wanted to have
a health food store she sold her car and
used the money to start in a little
storefront a little hole in the wall
she rode to work on a bicycle and then
when she got enough money she she bought
a motor scooter and did that for a long
time
she’s now very successful person she now
has three health food stores she said it
was hard as
struggle less she said but I did it she
said I made the commitment to do it and
I did it why is it that people are
frightened by commitment because when
you say the word commitment that
intimidates a lot of people why because
it means you have to deliver see most
people you ask him Hey look here I liked
you to do this they’ll say I’ll try I’ll
try means that is my escape clause when
I don’t come through it’s really a
polite no I don’t have the courage to
tell you no so I’ll tell you I’ll try
they look at I need you to come to this
meeting I’ll try say what do you mean
you’re gonna lean toward the meeting try
and sit down you either do it you don’t
try and take this pencil out of my hand
you either do or you don’t it’s no such
thing as try so most people like to use
that language they don’t want to commit
themselves because commitment means
among many things no excuse is
acceptable that’s what it means no
excuse that if you decided that you want
to do this if it becomes hard then do it
hard if it difficult so what if it’s
inconvenient so much yeah a lot of
people made a commitment to come here
tonight but they looked outside and said
it’s rainy the temperature dropped it’s
cold outside and they decide to give up
on their commitment and that’s how
people do about their dreams they don’t
honor their commitment to themselves let
me tell you what happens when you when
you don’t keep your commitment number
one it begins to deplete your your
self-esteem and it erodes your
self-image it weakens your faith in
yourself you don’t feel good when you
don’t keep your commitments the other
thing is that you begin to develop weak
relationships with people people begin
to realize they can’t depend up on you
they can’t rely on you because you won’t
keep your word you’ve established that
kind of reputation just think what would
your life be like if you decided to keep
your commitments what will all of our
lives be like if we decided to keep our
commitments but we decided to do the
things and we said that we were going to
do that we wouldn’t even speak it unless
we were going to do it if we decided
just for a week just see what your life
can be like just let’s do it for a
commitment to make make it a seven-day
commitment that I won’t say I will do
anything unless I’m going to do it and
find out what your life will be like let
me tell you what if you follow it
through if you keep your commitment to
the commitment at the end of the seven
days you feel strong and powerful
because by honoring your commitment each
time that you do that empowers you
whatever discipline that is required
whatever it is that you must do so I’m
suggesting number one commit yourself to
live in the present
I saw the movie um the Dead Poets
Society Robin Williams and had a lioness
seize the moment many of us are not able
to move forward and develop and manifest
our greatness because we spent so much
time looking back or worrying about the
future seize the moment see you cannot
go into the future and manifest your
greatness when you have various things
in your life that’s blocking you let’s
look at how we can begin to keep our
commitments remembering what dr. Robert
Anthony said about results when you keep
your commitments you’re able to produce
some different kinds of results in your
life so how can we keep our commitments
and do we keep all commitments no we
don’t you will not be at 100% however
you will have a greater percentage rate
of maintaining your commitments to
yourself whatever those things might be
if it’s going into business if it’s if
it’s changing a habit that you know that
works against you if it’s overcoming
self-destructive behavior if it’s
retraining your thinking if it’s
reinventing yourself if it’s trying to
begin to design your relationship
differently all of us have a possibility
by focusing and really harnessing
attention and concentrating on it we
really have available to us the power to
honor our commitments in those
particular areas so number one make it
priority see no one would go get on an
airplane if you thought your chances of
getting there to your destination we’re
as good as your luggage
am I correct see and I say the reason
that you will reach your destination
more times in your luggage will is
because the airline and I’m glad that
they do has made it a priority to move
the human beings from one point to the
other safely not send you off to Boston
or someplace with your luggage so I’m
not really upset when my luggage doesn’t
show up I’m glad they delivered me
because they’ve made me a priority see
they have made delivering you to your
destination important so if you want to
honor your commitment whatever you
decide that you’re going to do make sure
you make it important make sure it is
priority keep it before you the other
thing is whatever that you want to do
whatever you want to begin to create and
beginning to manifest your greatness and
and strengthening your level of
commitment and it’s it’s really
exercising your will find something that
you want to do on your goal one action
step but make sure it stretches you that
it challenges you but it’s doable that
you can do it this year I decided that I
was going to exercise so I started out
doing just ten set ups and ten push ups
I know I can do that and not get upset
about it I can do that without thinking
so I started out small now I’m up to
fifty but if I try to do fifty starting
out I wouldn’t still be doing it so I
started doing it in manageable segments
do that and that that strengthens your
will so my commitment now is stripping
and fortified by the activity of
actually doing it so now I can expand
and build from there when I decided to
begin to manage my
money differently and I started saving
5% of my money
then I increased it to 10% then to 15%
so now I have disciplined myself to live
off 75 percent of my income that took
discipline to do that but I started
watching how I was spending my money I
start keeping a log and following myself
so you want to begin to find something
that is manageable that you know that
you can do the next thing in beginning
to to keep your commitments to yourself
have some friends that will hold you
accountable that won’t let you off the
hook that won’t tolerate anything less
than the best from you people that will
support you in this new way of being in
this new state of consciousness the
other thing is that important is have a
contingency plan see many times when you
make a commitment to do something there
are some other variables that will
happen that you can’t control or you
perhaps did not think about so you want
to have some other plans going on you
want to become creative see most people
don’t keep their commitments because
when something goes wrong they just stop
they don’t have a contingency plan so
they don’t know what to do next stop
being creative if you challenge yourself
many chapters say I don’t know what to
do and I always ask myself but if you
did know what to do less what will it be
that activates another part of my mind
I’ll stop thinking about the
possibilities and just experimenting but
many many of us just stop dead in our
tracks I don’t know what to do you do
know what to do you’ve got genius in you
challengers have pushed yourself make
yourself come up with something use your
imagination and what you will find is
that you know more than you realize that
you know that you’re more creative and
more resourceful than you realize that
you are and as you do that the more you
do it the easier it will become at first
it’s going to be a struggle and after
you get into a certain level of
consciousness you will ask yourself how
is it that I didn’t see this before at
the level that I’m managing my business
now they say consciousness is what we
are I literally look at myself and say
how is it that I
do this before why is it that I couldn’t
see this before and the reason that I
didn’t see it before because I did
myself I didn’t put myself out here see
the reason that most of us go through
life never discovering our true
greatness literally walking breathing
corpses the uncommitted life isn’t worth
living why because it doesn’t produce
anything so you only make things happen
your life only counts you only make a
difference when you are committed when
you make a commitment with your life
that’s the people that make a commitment
with their lives the people that make a
commitment to their customers the people
that make a commitment to their families
to their relationships are the people
that make the greatest impact in life
what does commitment commitment as the
salesman who says look here I’m going to
make a thousand dollars today and I’m
not going home you can turn the lights
out the generators could be here running
the vacuum cleaner I’m not leaving here
till I do it I used to be a door-to-door
salesman I had X number of TVs I had a
minimum amount that I knew I had to sell
every day in order to provide for my
mother who was ill at the time who’d
lost her job at the M&M cafeteria
because of arthritis and I said I’m
going to go door to door and sometimes I
would not come home until 1:00 o’clock
at night knocking on people door people
closing what do you want would you like
to buy a nice working month’s television
set no money down no what about an
emerson TV No thank you very much do you
know anybody else that would be
interested no thank you very kindly not
going another hello would you like to
buy a nice working television set no
money down no get away from our door
thank you very kindly do you know
anybody else would be yeah my cousin he
lives two doors down thank you very
kindly I tell him you simply went ahead
your cousin told me that you want to buy
televisions that told me to come here
and talk to you got a special discount
for you yes come in I’m interested I
would just keep right on I would not go
home until I did it it’s an interesting
thing ladies and gentlemen that when we
put ourselves in a situation where we
say we’re going to do it
it puts you in another zone where the
universe responds to you when you have
that kind of consciousness see the
universe responds to the man or woman
that refuses to be denied because that
is your commitment that business that
you want that book you want to write
that dream that you have of controlling
your destiny that is yours that power to
create there and to manifest that that
is yours that’s available to you but
you’ve got to be willing to stand there
and face disappointment not have support
feel lonely doubt yourself sometimes be
rejected again and again and again
become bankrupt if necessary again and
again and again and refuse to turn
around until life gives it up nothing
can resist a person that has that kind
of commitment the people that have made
a difference on the planet when a John F
Kennedy said we will go to the moon and
the next decade he spoke it that was a
commitment and people shared that vision
people bought into that we’ve had all
kind of examples in history where people
have made declarations who have
committed their lives to bring about a
difference their people are taking a
stand today against hunger I guarantee
you it will be a part of our past at
some point in time someone took a stand
against polio it no longer plagues us as
it once did because someone said it is
my commitment to eradicate it from the
face of the earth someone made the
commitment the reason that we here and
enjoying the democracy that we have
someone made a commitment that whatever
is required if it means that I die I’ve
remembered Paul Robeson here I stand for
I can do no other and that’s how you
must be commitment means standing up for
your life
it means honoring yourself it means it
means beginning to say and to see and
recognize your alignment and oneness
with the universe and that you are a
channel for life to express through and
we short-circuited with anger
we short-circuit it with fear we
short-circuit it with with envy we
short-circuited by being lazy or
apathetic or giving up easily why why
why we’re always too hard is too hard we
don’t challenge our spirit ladies and
gentlemen there’s nothing is powerful as
the human spirit you can’t destroy you
can pervert it but you can’t destroy I
was reading man’s search for meaning
perfect of wrinkle what a powerful book
I’m reading it now for the seventh time
and he gives so many graphic examples of
of the power of the human spirit and so
what are some of the things that can can
fortify us and and give us the kind of
inner strength that will allow us to
forward ourselves into the future by
manifesting our commitments number one
commitment means in some cases going
back to school getting some training
sitting up in classes with people
younger than you putting yourself in a
position where you don’t know and that
is awkward and uncomfortable but because
of your commitment to develop yourself
or to go back to school to get a high
school diploma to get a college degree
that it doesn’t matter feeling dumb and
saying what am I doing here sitting up
in some boring class commitment could
mean a lot of things it could mean that
you begin to go back you got to back up
sometimes leads to back up and not give
up to regroup back up and regroup and
come back again because life is waylaid
you because you got knocked down I know
when when I was working on my dream
there were times I lost my house at one
point I lost my car
I was broke my credit was bad I was
sleeping at different friends houses on
their couch or on the floor there were
times months that I slept on the floor
of my office and got up early and
dressed before my staff got there to
give them the impression that I got
there early before they did
and we all pretend not to know what we
knew that the boss was staying in office
so we never talked about it but I refuse
I refuse to give up on my dream and what
happened they say you know in the
prosperous years you put it in your
pocket in the lean years you put it in
your heart it makes me appreciate it
even more even more I wouldn’t trade it
I wouldn’t trade it for anything the
disappointment the pain that I’ve gone
through by keeping the commitment
keeping the commitments that you have
might mean taking a stand that’s that’s
unpopular something was said one time
when you take a position says cowardice
ask the question is it safe politics
asks the question is it popular but
conscience or commitment asks the
question isn’t right and see most people
rather operate from the first – is it
safe for me to take this position I
remember I was a state legislator I saw
guys and women who believed in
legislation very strongly but because
the Speaker of the House said we won’t
go with that they back down and they
felt bad about it they wouldn’t take the
position because they didn’t want to
speak of a house to be angry at them
they wanted to be all right we’ll all of
the rest of our colleagues see it takes
a great deal of strong courage and
commitment on your part to step out a
line – you know Henry David Thoreau says
a man doesn’t keep pace with his
companions perhaps he’s listening to the
beat of a different drummer let him
dance to the music that he hears however
measured or far apart when you are
committed you’re dancing to the beat of
a different drummer don’t expect people
to understand you don’t expect it to
make sense to anybody why you’ve got to
do this why you have got to go why you
leave this is a good job I’m going they
pay you well I’m going you just a few
years from retirement I’m going why I
don’t understand you don’t have
here’s what I suggest number one that
does happen so take total responsibility
for it just own it don’t make any
excuses and why you gave it or why you
didn’t come through just own it and face
the flak whatever it is stand up inside
yourself
next thing is assess the situation how
did you get here what happened that you
broke down that you had a breakdown and
you surrendered what happened what was
going on see when I used to go on a diet
and I no longer do that I’ve made a
commitment to a healthy lifestyle I used
to eat up until 12:00 midnight on Sunday
anything that wasn’t moving and on
Monday I would I would get up and and
and eat a fruit get a light fruit
breakfast and for lunch time I would fix
some broiled chicken and meticulously
peel the skin off and eat the chicken
and then eat the skin
do five setups look in the mirror and
become discouraged because my stomach
doesn’t look like a washboard or what
are they having Hayley dances and I say
what the use and then I go to
refrigerator and eat food cold standing
right then a refrigerator so when I
evaluate it where I broke down I realize
I can’t have junk food in the house so I
changed my route I stopped taking people
to lunch or to dinner because I couldn’t
sit there and watch them eat when I had
to go someplace in speaking they were
eating I said call me downstairs when
it’s time for me to speak because if I
said at the table looking at them the
food’s gonna call my name and I know
this so I had to begin to make sure that
I wasn’t putting myself in a position
where I would give up on my commitment
am I making sense to you so I began to
strategize around avoiding situations
where I knew that I was going to become
weak another thing I do and I don’t keep
my commitment I either deny myself
something while I do a trade-off if a
glazed doughnut takes advantage of me
then I require myself to do an extra 25
setups or I walk for an extra 15 to 20
minutes because I got a hammerlock on my
head and say come on over here so you
might have to deny yourself something or
do a trade-off do something that will
offset it the other thing is start again
so what you fell flat on your face so
what start again learn from the
experience and start again don’t count
yourself out don’t send them just up to
a lifetime of being miserable a lifetime
of being broke a lifetime of being
unhealthy a lifetime of being in a
relationship that is no longer
fulfilling to you a lifetime of living
at working on a job that that does not
bring you satisfaction that’s not giving
you the creative urge that you need and
that got to have in your life that
stimulates you don’t send us your stuff
like that you are human being don’t
volunteer your life that way your life
has too much value to the universe
you’ve got something to contribute
you’ve got something to give
and so what if you make a commitment and
you’re not able to do it like a pro but
you’re not good as everybody else live
in the moment I like what this says look
to this day for it is life the very life
of life in its brief course lie all the
realities and their ities of existence
the Bliss of growth the splendor of
action the glory of power for yesterday
is but a dream and tomorrow is only a
vision but today today well lived makes
every yesterday a dream of happiness and
every tomorrow a vision of home look
well therefore to this day see if we
just start enjoying where we are if we
make that kind of commitment to enjoy
where we are to experience the
experience of life where we are to do
all we can right now where we are forget
about the mistakes yesterday we’re
forget about all your failures yesterday
forget forget about what you don’t have
that’s not important the only thing that
we have is right now right now right now
and I say that life is calling on you to
call forth on that the optimists which I
think one of the most positive groups in
the world they have something called the
optimist Creed and I like they says
promise yourself I changed it to commit
yourself because I think that commitment
has more power than promise it says
commit yourself to be so strong that
nothing can disturb your peace of mind
to talk health happiness and prosperity
to every person you meet to make all
your friends feel that there is
something in them to look at the sunny
side of everything and make your
optimism come true to think only of the
best to work only for the best and
expect only the best to be just as
enthusiastic about the success of others
as you are about your own to forget the
mistakes of the past and press on to the
greater achievements of the future to
where cheerful continents at all times
and give every living creature you meet
a smile to give so much time to the
improvement of yourself that you have no
time to criticize others
to be too large for worry too noble for
anger too strong for fear and too happy
to permit the presence of trouble commit
yourself to these things is that
powerful what a commitment to make with
your life commit yourself to stretch to
get outside of your comfort zone and not
be concerned about what people think
about you because they’re thinking it
anyhow
Please follow and like us: