How The Right Commitments Will Secure Your Success True commitment is the ultimate determining factor of whether you will be successful or not. All the other positive attributes that we usually assign to great entrepreneurs (such as perseverance, focus, and resilience) stem from commitment.

I spend a lot of time thinking about commitment. As a coach I am privy to the many commitments people make and the many commitments people break.

There are a couple of interesting questions for us to ponder when it comes to commitment. Why do we often commit with our words but not with our actions?

How can we create more commitment to the things that we care about? What factors enhance or decrease commitment? For now, let's just start with the basics.

I like the analogy of a horse carriage in this instance. Think of your commitments as beautiful strong black horses. Every commitment you make is the equivalent of binding your cart to a new horse.

With this analogy in mind you want to make sure that you commit to the things that will help you move in the right direction. Being tied to a horse that constantly wants to run in the opposite direction from where you are trying to go is tiring.

It's important to understand that commitments aren't tame horses that gently fall into their place. They are wild and free-spirited. This means that they will require your constant attention to not only herd them but to ensure that they stay on track.

Commitment is a great thing once you get it right. Imagine the power, momentum, and speed you can generate if you keep hooking up the right horses to your carriage. Here are some of the criteria that you could use to select your commitments.

1. IS IT IMPORTANT TO YOU?

I mean is it really important to you? Do you know how many people I speak to who say that things are important to them but quickly disprove it with their actions? Tons!

You would simplify your life a lot by being honest about the things that you care about. Commitment requires energy and time. These are also your most valuable assets. So why would you want to waste them on trying to tame a horse that you have no interest in?

Sometimes the best action you can take towards a commitment is to let it go.

2. DOES IT GET YOU TO WHERE YOU WANT TO GO?

You can only handle so many commitments at one time. That's why every entrepreneur eventually has to outsource some of their commitments to a team.

The question of where you want to go is an important one. It gives you insights into how many commitments you need to make, how long you would need to make them for, and which ones will actively pull you towards your vision.

3. HAVE YOU CREATED ORDER?

Your life does not just consist of business commitments. You are also bound to your health, image, friends, family, money, hobbies and more.

So, in which order do you position your horses? In other words, how do you prioritise your various commitments?

Your stable needs variety. Commitment to business brings drive and passion. Commitment to family brings kindness and love. Combined, you create harmony.

4. HAVE YOU CREATED ACCOUNTABILITY?

Without a break you will run your horses into the ground. Without nurturing them they will starve. Without maintenance they will become flea infested.

You are not only responsible for cracking the whip and making sure that there is unity in the stable, you are also the one responsible for its evolution and growth.

It's great to have certain structures in place that create accountability. Structures such as a mastermind group, a friend, or a coach. But selecting commitments that meet many of the criteria above will already help you to foster a more caring attitude towards them.

PURE POWER

I hope that this has in some way reshaped how you think of commitment in your life. There are of course many ways to frame it but I believe that Black Horse Commitment provides a useful filter to an important topic.

You are the one in control of your destiny. As the driver, you get to observe the landscape, you get to chart the course. How exciting! So which horse will you saddle up next?