“No action without commitment.”
I love this statement because it sums up where actions come from. Without absolute commitment, there is no continued action. But how do we know just how committed we are, so we can predict action?
It’s simple. We use the “commitment scale,” which works like this:
- Make a list of up to seven things you want to change, improve, or do differently. They can be behaviors, skills, attitudes, habits, relationships—you name it.
- Rate how likely you are to move into action, using a scale from 1-10. A “1” means, “not going to happen.” A “10” is “nothing can stop me.” There are no right or wrong numbers. Honestly consider if you will (10) or would like to (6 and below) move into action on each. Sometimes, we say we’re committed, when in actuality we wish we were.
- Circle any 10. These are the actions that WILL happen. Anything below a 10 will have limited-to-no success. If you’re skeptical by nature and would never give yourself a 10 or an absolute score, think of your 9s as 10s.
- Move into action on your 10s, leaving the rest behind (for now). This often surprises people. Common responses include, “What do you mean? I just don’t do it? I have to do it.” To which I respond, “Believing you should or feeling you need to won’t make it happen. Only things you are 100 percent committed to (your 10s) will.” Think of non-10s as opportunities that might turn into 10s in the future—
just not right now. You’ll get far more done by moving into action on the things you are committed to than the ones you wish you were.
As I’m finishing this blog, I’m looking over my to-do list. The first item for today was “Finish the Commitment blog and post.” This was my 10 today. I have many more blogs to write, but “nothing could stop me” from writing this one. It was fun and effortless. Knowing this blog is available to others taps into my driving motivators, sparking me to write another. Our 10s are like that. They inspire, flow, and allow continuous commitment and action.
