Commitment scares a lot of people. Why? Because the core of the word commitment means you have to deliver. Most of us are very good at getting started; we start this project over here, we start down this journey over there but rarely do most people finish. Statistics show that only 7% of people who set goals in January actually achieve them. That means 93% of people are not staying committed to completing their goals. Have you ever heard the saying,  “you have too many irons in the fire?” This very statement indicates that we are starting many things. The big question is are we finishing them? According to the stat I just noted the answer is No. 

I understand the hesitancy and fear behind the word, because when you truly commit it means that no excuse is acceptable, it becomes non-negotiable. Think of the things in your life today that are non-negotiable. Is feeding yourself on a daily basis negotiable? No, you have to eat. Is going to work negotiable? No, you have to work to pay the bills. Is caring for your family negotiable? No, the kids, spouse or aging parents cannot be neglected. So why is staying committed negotiable?

These are some consequences that happen to us when we don’t keep our commitments: 

1. Deplete Your Self-Esteem: Weakens your faith in yourself
2. Develop Weak Relationships: People label you as unreliable and trust is broken
3. Stifles Your Growth: You’re not able to develop and gain or sharpen the skills to manifest your greatness

When you start honoring your commitments and getting things done it will be liberating. First of all, your confidence will improve, your relationships will improve and ultimately your dreams will be realized for you and your loved ones. 

Ask yourself, what would life look like for you if you decided to keep your commitments. Would you develop strong, valuable relationships? Would your husband and kids admire and trust you more? Would your boss or business partners cheer you on and seek out ways to elevate you in the organization?

It’s important to have a disciplined, conscientious approach to managing your commitments.

Here are 6 surefire ways to help you remove doubts and distractions, so you stay committed to your commitments:

1. Rid Yourself of Perfectionism  

Overanalyzing and over-perfecting everything can be negative to our progress. Most get caught up in perfectionism because they allow doubt to creep in. Perfectionism hinders us from achieving our goals and eventually leads to burnout. As women, we should build strides in encouraging ourselves that what we are doing is right and we are heading in the right direction. Write this down and keep it before you daily, “progress is better than perfection”.

2. Be realistic about your Commitments

We only have 24 hours in a day and you can add an extra hour here or there by waking up early and staying up a little later. However, there is no way to add an extra 12 to 24 hours more to our days which most could use due to all that’s on our plates to get done. You are one person so be realistic about your commitments. Only commit to what you can actually get done in a day and everything else you have to say ‘No’.  No doesn’t mean never it just means not right now. Release the over-commitment distraction.

3. Be intentional about your Commitments  

What gets done is what gets scheduled. Prioritize and make your commitments apart of what you have planned to get done in your day, week or month. You owe it to yourself to stay committed to your commitments because every time you’re not, it starts to affect your self-confidence.

4. Release ‘Try’ from your vocabulary 

The word Try constantly lets us off the hook. We even go as far and believe the saying, “nothing beats a failure but a Try”.  The word try doesn’t beat a failure, it sets you up to fail. Saying we will try allows us to not honor our commitments, it’s a way of escaping when we don’t have the courage to complete what we start.  Let’s release the word ‘Try’ and commit to doing it or you’re not.

5. Make ‘No’ Non-negotiable

I know it’s hard to say No to others because naturally we love to be helpful but in order to get committed and get things done you have to be comfortable in your No. When you start to strategically use your No your Yes will actually carry more weight and mean something not only to others but to yourself.

6. Burn the Back-Up plan 

Plan B’s are seen as blessings, but they can also be a curse. When we get in a tight, we have a tendency to leverage our plan b as the original plan.  When we use our back-up plans as the plan, we get comfortable in missing our deadlines. As Tony Robbins says, “The best way to conquer an island is to burn the ships.” I say, “The best way to stay committed is to burn the back-up plans.” You will see that you get more accomplished because there is no way out.

It’s time to take your commitments seriously. Every commitment you make is an opportunity to create positive impressions about your abilities and character. The more positive impressions you can create for yourself the more you will get people to know, like and ultimately trust you. 

Much success to you on your journey. For more helpful information, connect with me on social media. Download a free chapter of my book Cubeonomics at www.Quick6wins.com.