What It Takes to Stay Committed? Going Beyond Your Interest!
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More often than not, people fail to commit to certain plans despite being greatly interested in it. We use the term ‘commitment’ loosely and forget what it really means. This lack of commitment is even more prevalent in the age of convenience. In this article, you will learn why going beyond your interest helps to stay committed for long-term success.
Commitment and Interest Explained
Commitment and interest both play a role in our everyday decisions. These are thoughts and words that facilitate our actions, which directly shape and define us as a person. In the pursuit of staying committed to any goal we are working towards, commitment and interest are both in mind. Whether it involves finances, career, health, or relationships, staying committed is crucial for continuous personal development.
However, 70% of people fail to achieve goals despite efforts and intention to succeed. The interplay between commitment and interest becomes a problem when you fail to progress. This often means getting stuck in our interest, losing the will or ability to form and break certain habits. Staying committed requires a strong dedication, while relying solely on interest puts you in a fleeting phase of curiosity.
To understand why habits are essential when addressing a lack of commitment, consider reading “The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business” by Charles Duhigg. With that in mind, the following descriptions explain the differences between the two mindsets, helping you build the right attitude to stay committed.
The Strong, Committed Mindset
A strong, committed mindset focuses on proactive problem-solving skills. Despite obstacles or emotions in the way, a committed person owns each struggle and accepts the responsibility of dealing with them without making any excuses. Staying committed to something also means taking accountability for your actions, whether it resulted in a positive or negative outcome.
“A lot of people fail to recognize that that interest just delves you in a little bit, but that commitment keeps you going.” — Munif Ali
A strong, committed mindset emphasizes the importance of taking action to build momentum and internal motivation. For a committed person, action comes first and motivation can come later. When you stay committed, you also accept things that you cannot control and manage your time for things that you can control.
The Fleeting Nature of Interest
Unlike commitment, interest is temporary. The fleeting nature of interest is often driven by feelings and wishful thinking. Due to its inherent dependency, an interested person will need external motivation to start acting. Interest tends to gravitate toward comfortable actions that seem easy and familiar. Interest finds a way to justify failure of following through, resulting in a lack of commitment. Losing interest involves avoiding self-discipline to stay committed.
“Interest is only superficial. It requires a band-aid. Commitment is deep. It requires stitches.”
— Munif Ali
However, a goal is usually sparked by passion, and this starts with what you are interested in. Interest can create excitement and enthusiasm that help initiate projects to begin with. This can also serve as the driving force behind your purpose. To learn more about the importance of purpose to stay committed, read “Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action” by Simon Sinek.
Commitment and Interest Combined
Interest is one of the keys that starts the engine. While commitment is the driver, keys are still necessary to begin the journey. The challenge arises when the excitement from interest begins to fade as time passes. Interest is the initial spark that commitment must nurture by maintaining effort and focus over time.
When combined, both mindsets can complement each other for your progress and success. Interest urges you to explore, while commitment encourages you to invest. Going beyond interest provides a clearer path to make the right choices, preventing a lack of commitment. Here are three main ideas to remember in order to stay committed:
1. Your Own Witness
A lack of belief and confidence in yourself affects the momentum of commitment. Focus on your own progress instead of others. Giving in to your fears and doubts will only hinder you from accessing numerous resources available. Focus on comparing your progress to your past self and recognizing how far you have come. Witness and celebrate your own accomplishments, big or small, to stay committed. Keep your interest alive by surrounding yourself with things that align with your goals.
2. A Vision to Live By
Every goal you set and accomplish brings you one step closer to the future you want to achieve. Each extra effort contributes to becoming the best version of yourself. This is the vision that guides and deepens your commitment, which means you will not have all the answers. Mistakes are bound to happen, so avoid overanalyzing an imperfect journey. A vision serves more as a map than a checklist, helping you to a long-term path than short-lived moments. Accept the setbacks and challenges by allowing changes, while staying aligned with your broader vision.
3. Harnessing Grit
Due to the inherent unpredictability of the future, sacrifices have to be made sometimes. Enduring hardships requires emotional competence and patience, which harnesses grit. Grit is the perseverance that fuels the discipline of commitment. This means participating or simply showing up every single day despite causing conflict of interest, discomfort, or imbalance. While both mindsets remain important, you ultimately need to assess the urgency. As much as staying committed gets things done, it is also crucial to maintain balance and prevent burnout.
How you struggle between commitment and interest establishes the kinds of habits that your goals will depend on. Consistency can impact enjoyment, and vice versa. Learn how to better manage your routine to stay committed by watching our video on “Build Habits For Success With These Hacks.”
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Key Takeaways
- Commitment is a personal discipline that persists over time towards achieving goals.
- Interest is an emotional response to a desirable goal that can fade as time passes.
- When combined, both commitment and interest play a role in your success, with commitment taking your interest to the next level.
- Interest can offer emotional drive and fuel your passion, while commitment provides more long-term dedication and perseverance.
Black, P. (2021, April 16). Are you committed or are you just interested?. Forbes. Retrieved October 15, 2024.
Nichols, S. (2024, July 9). Commitment vs. Interest: the key to achieving your goals. Trident Athletics. Retrieved October 15, 2024.
People Builders. (n.d.). The value of commitment and committed people. Retrieved October 15, 2024.
Sewell, K. (n.d.). Interested, committed, obsessed: the only scale you should focus on. Vision Personal Training. Retrieved October 15, 2024.
Vermeeren, D. (n.d.). Why people fail to achieve their goals. Reliable Plant. Retrieved October 15, 2024.
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Being successful as a person can both be learned and taught, but you must have the willingness to overcome obstacles and create habits that will make you more successful . I will give you the systems that will do both.
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