or ten days, I am cataloging the top principles that have become part of my life over the years. This has become increasingly more difficult as I think this through. I did this originally as a “simple” exercise because I was traveling. Now, I am realizing that was a mistake – what started out as simple is now a exercise in contemplation that I was not prepared for!
The 7th principle is one that I learned later in life. It is this:
Principle 7 – A Commitment Requires at Least One Habit to be Effective
This seems obvious to me now, but this simple idea evaded me for years growing up. I created many marvelous commitments in my younger days, fueled by significant ambition. I would set out to achieve the impossible, just to fail a few days later. I would create a long list of things I needed to do but find that list stuffed in a drawer uncompleted many years later. My commitments were great, but they were feckless and weak. I had no “skin in the game,” as the phrase goes.
So, how does a commitment become real? How does a commitment transition from a hope to something that sticks with you? Quite simply, a commitment needs a habit that forces you to keep on the path. A serious commitment needs more than one. You are not serious about keeping a commitment unless it is intertwined with one or more habits.
That is it. This principle is quite simple and requires little explanation. A commitment requires a habit that ties you to a daily regimen of dedicated effort. If you are committed to being a marathon runner, then your habit needs to be to run almost every day. If you are committed to becoming a writer, then you must write every day. Every commitment will always have a core commitment that you cannot avoid. Keep commitments by keeping the required habit that goes along with that commitment.
