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"About Commitment"
by Kevin Eikenberry
"Once you pledge, don't hedge." -
Nikita Khrushchev
The story goes that the chicken and the pig were passing by the cafe in
the early morning watching people ordering their breakfast. The
chicken began to boast how important chickens were - committed to
the human population by giving them eggs for their breakfast. The
pig quickly laughed, saying that while the chickens were involved, the
pigs were truly committed, by providing the bacon. Yes, this issue
of
Vantagepoints is about commitment.
When my son, Parker, was three, we spent one Saturday at an amusement
park, and it was very hot. Early in the day we sat in a show and (as
promised) got a bit wet - not drenched - more like walking through a brief
rain shower. I noticed Parker complaining about the water - wanting
to escape it. As we walked out he spied some of the water hoses and
other "getting wet" equipment and decided that he would
investigate (forgetting that only a moment
before he hadn't wanted to get wet). At first he gingerly walked
into the area and quickly bolted out - wanting only a brief encounter with
the water. With each attempt, he grew bolder and got a bit
wetter.
At this point I'm sure you're wondering what all this has to do with
commitment. Actually it has everything to do with commitment.
At first Parker didn't really want to get wet, he just wanted to
investigate, because it seemed that others were having fun. How
often do we get involved with a new project, product line, idea, or
whatever, but don't really give it our all?
We are just "testing the waters". Parker was having a
little fun just "testing the waters", but he was pretty
inhibited, a bit timid and unsure. How often are we a bit timid, a
bit inhibited when trying out the new project, exercise regimen, diet, or
whatever? Of course we are! Why? Because like Parker, we
aren't yet committed!
Soon Parker had his shirt off, and spent the next 40 minutes playing in
the water - in his full glory. When he finished (and all the while
he was doing it) he had a huge smile on his face showing his complete and
total enjoyment. And while he was playing, getting as wet as you
could possibly be, he was teaching his Dad about commitment. Once he
decided getting wet was ok, then he succeeded. Once he committed,
his success was assured.
I believe that is completely true for us too! I'm sure each of you
is working on, or thinking about something today, that you aren't
completely committed to. Let me urge you to first, make a decision
about this issue. Is it something that you believe you should be
doing? Is it in alignment with where you want to take your
organization, your family or yourself? If so, then commit.
Once you've made that commitment, your chances of success will skyrocket.
And so, not inconsequentially, will your enjoyment of the process.
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Kevin Eikenberry <mailto:kevin@discian.com> is a speaker, trainer,
author, and President of the Discian Group (http://discian.com
) - a learning consulting company committed to helping organizations,
teams, and Individuals reach their performance goals through learning.
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