Episode 1: The Power of Commitment
Hello and welcome to another episode of the Vision to Victory Podcast, where we discuss practical ways to turn your dreams into reality. Today, I want to talk about commitment—what it’s not, what it is, and why you need it. I’ll also share three practical things you can do to help you not only commit to what’s important but also stick to those commitments.
What Commitment Is NOT
Let’s talk about what commitment is not. Commitment is not a wish. It’s not an “I’d like to have,” or a “that would be nice.” It’s not even an interest. For example, if you asked people on the street today if they’d accept a winning lottery ticket with no strings attached, more than likely, 100% of them would say yes. Everyone likes the idea of being rich. It’s nice—it’s a wish. But that’s not commitment; that’s just interest.
You could even have a strong desire for something, but that’s still not commitment. Desire is not the same as resilience or grit.
What Commitment IS
Commitment is resilience. It’s grit. It’s the posture that says, “When I hit obstacles—and I will—I’m going to keep going. I’m not going to stop no matter what.”
Because having the life you want isn’t optional. That’s what commitment looks like.
Why Commitment Is Necessary
If you’re pursuing a worthwhile goal, you will hit obstacles. It’s not a matter of if, but when and how often. Things will go wrong. Life happens. Relationships have their ups and downs. Business is full of turbulence.
The difference between people who succeed and those who don’t often comes down to one thing: commitment. Successful people decide ahead of time who they’re going to be and what they’re going to do when those obstacles show up. They’ve already made up their minds that no matter what, they’ll keep going.
Three Practical Steps to Build Commitment
Clarity
You have to get clear on what you’re pursuing. Simply saying, “I want to be rich,” isn’t good enough. What does that mean to you? Is it having a net worth of $10 million in five years? Be specific.
Once you’re specific, you can work backward. If your goal is to have $10 million in five years, ask yourself, “What do I need to achieve that?” Is it building a business? Is it a particular job? Once you know, you can break it down into smaller steps, all the way to the actions you can take today.
Even if you don’t know anything about business right now, that’s okay. Most business owners didn’t know what they were doing when they started. They just put one foot in front of the other. But clarity is essential. If you’re not clear about where you’re going, you won’t get there.
Count the Cost
Life is about trades. If you want to add something new, you’ll have to let go of something else. We all have the same 24 hours, so the time to pursue your goals has to come from somewhere.
Most people don’t have a clear picture of how they’re spending their time. There’s often a lot of waste. For example, I used to scroll through social media briefly—five minutes here, five minutes there—but it added up to almost an hour a day. When I realized that, I decided to cut it out. That gave me back an hour every day to focus on my goals, like studying for my pilot’s license.
Sometimes the trades are easy, like cutting out social media. Other times, they’re harder. You might have to trade something good for something great.
Create a Plan
A lot of people get stuck because their goals seem too far out of reach. My advice? Start small. Break your goals into bite-sized steps that feel manageable.
When I started this podcast, I had so much to learn. It was overwhelming. So I broke it down. One day, my task was just to come up with a topic. The next day, it was writing bullet points for that topic. Taking small, consistent steps kept me from procrastinating.
Consistency is key. Doing something small every day will get you further than doing something big once a month. For example, exercising for 30 minutes a day, five days a week, will give you better results than working out for six hours once a month.
Recap
Commitment isn’t a wish or a dream. It’s a posture of resilience that says, “I’ll push through no matter what.”
To build commitment:
Get clear on what you’re pursuing.
Count the cost and figure out what you’re willing to trade.
Create a plan with small, manageable steps, and stay consistent.
Thanks for tuning into Vision to Victory, watch the full episode here