“Commitment is an act, not a word.” – Jean-Paul Sartre
“Commitment is what transforms a promise into a reality.” – Abraham Lincoln
“There’s a difference between interest and commitment. When you’re interested in doing something, you do it only when it’s convenient. When you’re committed to something, you accept no excuses; only results.” – Kenneth Blanchard
I’ve always been a highly driven and motivated person. I seldom have difficulty getting into action on something once I’ve decided that I want to do it. I can’t relate much to procrastinating on things, because I don’t do it often. And people have often described me as someone who knows what she wants and goes after it.
I recall years ago reading Daniel Pink’s book Drive, because I was so curious about the dynamics of motivation. I even wanted to include motivation as one of the variables in my PhD research, but I ended up taking a closer look at engagement instead. Now years later I realise how profound that decision was to look at engagement instead of motivation.
Two weeks ago, I attended a coaching development workshop. In many ways it was a life-changing experience. And then almost at the very end of the workshop, I received a new insight on motivation that not only changed my perspective on the whole concept, but also made me realise why some people get into action quickly and others don’t. And I want to share what I’ve learnt with you, because it will change the way you think about motivation.
The most important thing I’ve learnt from this experience and from reflecting back on my own life experiences, is that you don’t need motivation to get started. You need something else. You need inspiration.
What’s the difference? The word inspiration comes from Latin root word inspiratus (the past participle of inspirare) and inspirare means “to breathe or blow into”. So, when you feel inspired, you are etymologically having an idea “breathed into you” and thus you feel “influenced, moved, or guided to take action”. When you feel inspired by something, you feel moved to take action – i.e., you feel motivated.
Consequently, saying you don’t feel motivated to do something, or you don’t have the energy to do something, simply means you are not feeling inspired. You don’t need to motivate yourself; you need to find what inspires you and the motivation will be there. When we feel inspired, we feel compelled to move, to create.
Even Pink in his book on Drive concluded that the secret to high performance and satisfaction in life and work comes down to three things: the need to direct our own lives, the desire to learn and create new things, and the yearning to do better by ourselves and the world. Those three things can be summarised in ONE word – inspiration.
When I feel empowered, I’m inspired by the realisation that I am the owner or the creator of my life. A desire to learn and create comes from natural inspiration. Most authors and artists will tell you what happens when they feel inspired by something. They cannot switch off the urge to want to write, sculpt, compose, create. And lastly, a yearning for a better, more peaceful, more loving, more collaborative, safer world inspires many people to join activist groups or model to others what is possible through the life choices they make. All these people are acting on inspiration.
There is a second ingredient needed to sustain focused forward action in the world, and that is commitment. Commitment is very different from intent. I might have the intention to do something – e.g., go for a walk, make that phone call, write, send a card to someone, invite someone to coffee, spend time with my kids, you name it. However, if it’s merely an intention, it means that when something that I perceive as more important or urgent comes along, I can easily move the thing I intended to do aside without even feeling guilty about it, because my commitment to get it done was not there.
Commitment is very different. A commitment is non-negotiable. It is solid. I’ve decided that I will make it happen. Most of us schedule our commitments in our calendars. If you are called for a job interview, you make a solid commitment to show up for the interview. You don’t simply have the intention to show up to the interview.
So now consider this, what things in your life do you say are important to you or really matter to you, but when you look at your calendar those things are not scheduled in your calendar? Steve Chandler says we can easily tell what someone is committed to by what they spend their time and their money on. And that is so true.
If what you are spending your time and money on is aligned with what you value most in your life, then I salute you. However, if you notice that you are spending far more time and money on things that don’t mean that much to you and you are NOT spending time and money on the things that DO matter to you, then perhaps you need to re-evaluate what has you spending your time and money the way you currently are.
Our commitments shape who we become in the world. So, if you truly want to transform your life, you need to find what inspires you and commit yourself fully to that. Don’t just let it be an intention. Have it be a solid commitment by scheduling it in your calendar, by choosing to make it a non-negotiable in your life, by spending your energy and resources to creating what you are inspired to create.
Devon Bandison often says you are your word. And what he means by that is that our words have power, and we create our world through our words and through what we commit ourselves to. If I’m saying yes without a commitment to follow through on my yes, then my word doesn’t mean much, and people cannot trust that I will show up when I say I will.
However, if my word is my bond, and my commitment is firm, then people know that when I say I will do something I will do it. I’m trustworthy. I’m consistent. And it is through consistent action in our lives that we have created the lives we have now and how we create the lives we will live in the future. My commitment to my future self and to staying in integrity with myself is what shapes who I become and what my world looks like in the future.
Jim Rohn is quoted as saying, “Motivation is what gets you started. Commitment is what keeps you going.” I’m offering a slightly different take on it. Inspiration is what gets you started. Commitment is what keeps you going when things get tough. And they are cyclical, because when my commitment wavers, I remind myself of the vision that inspired me in the first place – i.e., who I want to become – and that strengthens my commitment.
When I work with a new client, my first job is to find what truly inspires them. What makes them come alive? What are the possibilities they are dreaming of? What will inspire them to keep showing up and to follow through on their commitment to our work together on the days when it feels harder than usual, or when things don’t go according to the plan? At the heart of their inspiration lies who they imagine they could become. And that is so powerful.
Three years ago, I sat with my coach, and we spoke about who I wanted to become. Last week she shared with me that document we created three years ago, and I saw with shock and surprise that everything I had spoken into the universe, everything I had included on my dream list, had transpired. I wept. I am living the life I had dreamed about three years ago. At the time, it felt almost impossible to me. And yet, I have created everything on my list – even the second baby I had longed for. It was my sacred prayer to the universe. Ask and you shall receive, and I have received so so much.
I am now living into my next evolution with a much deeper knowing and understanding of what’s actually possibly when I’m truly inspired and fully committed.
Why am I sharing this with you? If I can dream it and make it happen, so can you. My invitation is to open yourself up to inspiration. It doesn’t even have to be 100% believable. 50% is enough to get you started. Share your inspiration with someone who will hold that dream for you and support you in creating it.
References:
- Pink, D. H. (2011). Drive: The surprising truth about what motivates us. New York: River Head Books.