Are You Interested or Committed?
There’s a difference between interest and commitment. When you’re interested in doing something, you do it only when it’s convenient. When you’re committed to something, you accept no excuses; only results.” Kenneth Blanchard said that and he is a man who has published over 60 books. His most successful book, The One Minute Manager, has sold over 13 million copies. That seems like true commitment to me. I believe this is a question that we should be asking ourselves more frequently but what is the difference.
Interested
The definition of interested is showing curiosity or concern about something. How often do we say I want to “lose 20 pounds” or “be a better husband/wife? I hear it all the time but there are some missing elements. What is your plan for losing the weight or being a better spouse? If you don’t write down your goal, then you are interested in these things but you are not truly committed. Anyone that has done any form of coaching with me has heard “it’s only a wish until it’s written down”.
Committed
The definition of commitment is the state or quality of being dedicated to a cause. That means not listening to our excuses or stories of why I can’t achieve something. We all have that voice in our head that says “it’s ok, you can do it tomorrow” or “you deserve a break”. When you are committed to your goal, you stop listening to those voices and start to act. It is a shift in your attitude and mindset that will ensure that you are committed and tell those excuses to “take a hike”.
The Plan
There are three important questions to ask to put the plan into place. What do I need to learn? What do I need to believe? What do I need to do? There is a great YouTube video of John Assaraf talking about this very subject. John was truly committed to his dreams as he has successfully launched 5 multi-million dollar companies, including Re/Max. To finalize your plan, when will you achieve that goal/dream.
Be specific and put a date down as to when it will happen. A recent example of this for me, was launching the Transcend in Life podcast. I had no idea how to do a podcast but said July 1st the podcast will be done. I figured out what I had to learn (which was a lot), I needed to believe I could do it and I took a course to figure out specific equipment that was required. I had no idea how much I would love the platform but get so much joy every episode recorded.
It begs the question, are you interested or committed in achieving your goals? Whenever you say it aloud that you would rather watch TV then fulfill your wildest dreams, TV doesn’t sound so appealing. If you are willing to put in the work and commit to doing whatever it takes, you can “live your best life”. Sometimes you won’t like the answer but please ask the question, are you interested or committed? You can do it, just COMMIT!
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If you love a good podcast, check out my podcast “Let’s Go Win”. It’s a show with lively conversations providing tips on leadership, mindset, health, and everything you’ll need for success at work, at home, and in life! I’d love your opinion and a review!
JM Ryerson founded and sold 3 businesses and is now helping leadership teams do the same. He is an Author, Leadership & Performance Coach, International Speaker, and host of the Let’s Go Win podcast who has been building companies and leading sales teams for over 20 years. JM is the co-founder and CEO of Let’s Go Win whose mission is to increase leadership, enhance culture, and help teams achieve peak performance. JM’s great passions are inspiring people to live their best lives and become open to what life has in store for them. His ultimate goal is to give others the tools that will allow them to transcend their self-limiting beliefs. JM was raised in Montana and lives in Boca Raton, Florida with his wife Lisa and their two amazing boys.