368 I Live Up To My Commitments | January 2018 Wednesday Week 1

Wisdom Wednesdays-#359 January 3rd The Strong Within Daily Affirmation Podcast

I Live Up To My Commitments

"A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both." Dwight D. Eisenhower

We live in a world where it seems easier to take the quicker, faster, less honorable road…rather than taking the harder path within the moment. And I don't think that's because we're bad or lazy people, I think it's because we have been sold a false bill of goods saying that comfort of self is more important than commitment towards self. Now maybe you might be scratching your head and asking me what in the heck are you talking about Chris?

In the world we live in, we've decided faster is better and so with technology we've traded in wisdom for knowledge. We don't want to be wise from going through experiences, we want the fast facts immediately. There's no permanence in this world…but we find more merit in the things that disappear rather than the lasting things. And here I go shouting my age from the rooftops as I talk about how I don't get Snap Chat or some of these other apps kids are using nowadays. It reminds me of my father and how he would always say my Nintendo wrong…he'd be like, "Chris you playing that "Nine"-Tendo again?" And I still harass him about it to this day.

And I think that's why we get lost as people within a society. We no longer know who we are. We don't know our values because we haven't sat down to really think about what they are and how we can apply them in our lives. I mean, how can you be committed to something that you have no clue what it is? You may be operating on a fundamental human level, as we all have an internal guidance system that tells us what is right and wrong, but as we get connected with comfort instead of commitment…we then are more willing to take the easier road first…the road that involves the "me" instead of the "we." And that's why we feel so alone in this world…we have been "plugged" in literally to an idea that's keeping us from knowing other people…and knowing ourselves.

Let me ask you a question…when was the last commitment you purposefully said out loud and followed through with?

And if I was answering that question for myself, I probably would say I don't know. Sure I made a commitment to do this podcast every day…but as I'm reflecting on what I've been doing this past year, I've actually gotten lost in the mix of just producing something and thus I've forgotten to really process internally the impact I want to be leaving.

My great friend Suzanne and I were talking on the phone and I was telling her how stressed I was… thinking I may not be able to do another year of podcasts, I didn't think I could even do the first year, and now I am committing to another 365 days…and as I said my internal thoughts out loud to Suzanne, "are you mad? I must be because I'm flying by the seat of my pants right now."

Suzanne listened to me quietly until I was fully finished whining about all my fears and she said calmly to me, "Chris I heard this great podcast the other day about knowing your why…and when you know your why…the how becomes evident." And we both laughed, not because of the content she told me, but because she was quoting my podcast I published the previous day. She was reminding me of what I was helping her to realize through my podcasts.

You see, while I act all wise and tell people what they need to remember in living a better life, I need to take my own advice. I had put too much pressure on every podcast being perfect, and if I don't do every one perfect then people won't come back. I had put the pressure on myself of making everyone happy instead of focusing on why I'm doing this—which is to bring value into the world and reach the people who it resonates with. I was trying to control everything instead of just focusing on putting value out into the world for others and for myself…every day.

And by losing focus on that goal, my focus then becomes more on being a manufacturing line. It becomes the movement of putting things out there all shiny and polished to share knowledge without applying it in my life. And if I'm only telling you what you need to do, and not stopping to think and process it in my life every day…then I'm losing my edge of being at my best with all of you. I was in danger of becoming the machine and not the heart in the operation.

In my talk with Suzanne she reminded me of two things:

• -To remember my "why" of what I'm doing, so it can help guide me. And like the quote I said from Viktor Frankl in the podcast Suzanne quoted… when we know our 'why', we can bear any 'how'. By knowing my why, it will make things more enjoyable and easier in the tougher and the good times of staying committed to that goal.

• -I need great people in my life to remind me of the things I already know but have forgotten. We all need those reminders, and that's why coaching is so powerful for people. It's not someone giving advice to the things you don't know, it's about listening, asking questions that get to a deeper meaning, and then nudging that person towards the answer they already know within…but just needed to talk it out further to figure out how to apply it. And that's where wisdom and knowledge diverge, knowledge is knowing something but wisdom is being able to live within it.

And so while I was petrified and stuck that I wouldn't be able to write another podcast and that I was all out of ideas, I was reminded of what my good friend Suzanne did for me…she reminded me of what I already knew, and she was reminding me that if I got back to my "why" of what I was doing…it would flow easier.

I believe I don't always follow through with my commitments because I've forgotten the bigger picture. I've forgotten why I'm doing something. And when I don't know my why, it's hard to know "how" to do something more efficiently. Life really isn't as complicated as we make it. And as I came back to say my "why" in my mind…this podcast prep stopped being a wall where I felt I couldn't go any further, and it became a river that flowed more naturally. I could feel the stress releasing from my body and mind as the words came much easier.

There's a quote I like that 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." But I think it goes deeper than just staying true to what you said you'd do, I believe when we etch our values to our hearts so we never forget our whys…will be one of the greatest ways to help us always be true to our commitments. It will be the tool that will help keep those emotions alive in following through with our commitment.

We've made commitments emotionless, cold, and hard truths…which can be an ok way if you just want to push through and feel nothing except satisfaction for doing what you said. But when we connect our values and our whys to the commitment, it becomes not only more likely you'll succeed but it also increases the ease and enjoyment of the process.

Today's Personal Commitment:
What are the commitments you've made in the past that you're trying to continue to keep?

What are the new commitments that you've made recently and are trying to implement?

And how well are you doing in keeping the older and newer commitments?

Do you enjoy keeping your commitments? I know we don't have to enjoy everything we do. In fact, we will do things we may not necessarily like or that may seem tedious or trying when going towards something we want…and the reason that happens is from forgetting our whys. So write your commitments on a sheet of paper, write your why for that commitment, and then ask yourself if that's a commitment you want to keep?

And if it is a keeper, then ask yourself how you can be reminded daily why you are committing to it. In the end, it will make the process easier and more enjoyable…which, in turn, will make you more successful.

I Live Up To My Commitments

Thanks for listening. I'm sending great energy your way as we become Strong Within together,
Personal Development Life Coach-
Chris O'Hearn

Contact info- email: chris@strongwithin.com phone:865-219-3247

Music by:
- Zest by basematic (c) copyright 2011 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license.
- I Have Often Told You Stories (guitar instrumental) by Ivan Chew (c) copyright 2013 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license.
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