Should You Be Committed?

"Without commitment, discipline is impossible. With commitment, discipline is inevitable."

-- Julie Isaac. WritingSpirit.com

The power of decision is mighty. And that's all commitment is really -- a whole-hearted decision. Out of that one decision, be it to run a marathon, get married, obtain a PhD, or write a book, thousands of actions spring forth. And each one is merely in support of that initial decision. Decision is the precursor of what we call discipline.

Many times, though, we have it all wrong. We commit to what we think discipline should look like. We make a New Year's Resolution to get up each morning at 5 AM and go to the gym. Don't make me laugh! :>) That's not going to happen. Not for more than a week or two, at least. Why? Because we've half-assedly committed to a picture of discipline rather than to our real goal.

What is your real goal? In the scenario above, it may be to be fit. If you commit to being fit, all sort of changes in behavior will transpire, and, most likely, none of them will require that you get up at 5 AM or do anything else that remotely looks like, or even feels like, our usual stereotypical Marine Corps image of discipline.

You see, true commitments grow out of love. In other words, the only real motivation, the only true inspiration for any commitment is love. If you don't love your body, you won't really keep it in top condition. You may make it look great, but if the image of so-called greatness is held together by tension or fear, rather than love, what have you really achieved?

Ray Bradbury loved writing so much, that not to write was deeply, psychologically painful to him. Not writing, as he said, put his sanity at risk. And so, it was easy for him to write for many hours everyday. To outsiders, it may have looked like an incredible act of discipline, for Ray it was a daily act of love.

And so it all comes down to one simple question: What do you love? When you know what you love, your decisions, your commitments flow freely. Discipline? Discipline is for losers! Discipline is a term made up by bystanders as they watch the lovers of life live it to its fullest. Out of love, flows decision, out of decision, action. It's as simple, and as beautiful, as that.