Tag: commitment

Self-Discipline and Change

Self-Discipline and Change

I have written about self-discipline before. Today I would like to offer a practical application. This application also offers a way to manage your time as well. Allocate a time slot to take at least one step towards a goal. For instance, everyday from 10 am to 11 am is devoted to this one step. You may have a goal of becoming a better writer (only you know). So, now you commit to that one hour every day, whether you read, diligently search the web, evaluate how you would like to become better, etc.

However, I would like to emphatically insist that you don’t multi-task. Focus on this one particular task. Do not include the dinner menu, the shopping list, etc. These details are specific because they are key to establishing your new habit. Action enforces motivation. Not only that, now you are better utilizing your time. This commitment helps you work on your self-discipline as well. Commitment is critical to self-discipline and self-discipline requires commitment. Dedication and application are key elements of commitment.

What areas in your life now require self-discipline? Is mastering your time a need right now? Whether business or personal, change has to come to realize your goals and/or dreams. Evaluate your life right now. You cannot commit to something of which you are unaware.

Commitment

Caterpillar

I would like to discuss commitment. In my reading last week, one author posed that true commitment composes four elements. There is the mental component, the physical component, the financial component and the spiritual component. I would like to just put a note by each of these components leaving a framework for you to use when you want to make a commitment to something.

The mental component is the thought. You are faced with a decision. In considering the decision, go through all four components before deciding. In the mental component, consider if you really want to make the commitment. Is this something you need and want? Are willing to stick it out until the end? Ask yourself the necessary questions.

The physical component entails the action steps. Due diligence in researching the organization, the program, or whatever format the decision entails. Schedule time for the various elements this program or process entails. Are you willing to put in the time whether you feel like it or not? Sometimes you may not feel like it. However, you are committed to doing this thing in spite of how you feel.

Cocoon

The third component is financial, the money or investment in this decision. Money is a true motivator for many. No one consciously wants to just throw money away. Your decision to invest solidifies commitment even more. In due diligence, what are you getting for your money? What are you looking for from the organization or program? Are you willing to find monetary resources if you don’t have it all at once?

Butterfly

Last, but certainly not least, is the spiritual component. This entails your vision for this commitment. What is your vision for what you want to do? Is this commitment the foundation for something bigger? What are you hoping to accomplish by committing to this decision? Is this decision in line with your vision?

Sometimes the vision may come first and details of the commitment come later. The vision sparks your thought process, then action, and then the financial component. This process was eye opening for me in that it helped me clarify what I wanted. I hope it helps you in your decision-making process for achieving the goals you set for yourself.

I believe before any of the above steps, you should pray. I don’t leave God out anymore. How about you?

This Week’s Frenzy…Trying to Figure it Out

Deep Thought
Trying to Figure It Out

This post culminates what I has resonated from reading other bloggers over the past couple days and this week’s frenzy. I mention a couple of these bloggers as well as their article and site links in this post. I have been in a frenzy within myself. Bills need to be paid and I am frustrated with that because not having enough on hand is irritating. (Of course the irritation is fueled by the countless reminders that a bill is past due. Do we have to have them text two to three times a day?) Finance has been a serious struggle of mine, especially being a single parent. The economy has not always been this crazy for lack of a better term. Have I always made the right financial decision? Of course, not. In the vicious circles that play through my head, I try not to end up making the wrong decision. I was reading this post and saw the whole truth of the what we put ourselves through. (https://analindenblog.wordpress.com) The mental cycles that we take ourselves through just to make a final decision, hopefully right decision. I tend to see an end result and want to try any means necessary as the best course of action. That, of course, is not how it always plays out. Finance is a major area where God requires trust. Read more of this week’s frenzy…!