Ah, the C word. Many people are allergic to it. In improv training we preach it as if it were the gospel. We need to commit to ourselves and partners on stage (and in life) if we want our relationships (or projects) to be successful.
Dictionary.com defines COMMITMENT as “the act of committing, pledging, or engaging oneself; a pledge or promise; obligation.”
The words “promise” and “engaging oneself” resonate the most with me. When we commit to anything we not only promise others that we will follow through on doing what we say we plan on doing, we also promise ourselves that we will succeed.
As an improv instructor and training facilitator for Carolina Improv Company, I am constantly side-coaching others to commit in the moment to the exercise that I’ve given them to do and to not worry about failure. “Just commit. Try it.” The worst thing that will happen is failure. Strike that. The BEST thing that will happen is failure because when we fail, we learn how to succeed the next time. I also find myself giving this same advice in general to friends in a variety of areas – jobs, health, relationships, you name it.
What has really made me hyperaware of “commitment” is my current commitment to my health. On January 2, I made a promise to myself to lose weight and ultimately improve my overall health. In six and a half weeks, I’ve lost 23 pounds. Of course, I’m now hearing, “What are you doing? How do I do that?” And my answer is COMMIT to yourself. What I’m doing is not an overnight gimmick, but it may not be for
everyone. What works for me logistically does not matter. Fundamentally what works for me can work for everyone – COMMITMENT. The bottom line is that whatever people choose to do to lose weight, find love or get a new job, they need to commit to the plans they set to be successful. They need to engage themselves to believe that they can do whatever they set their minds to do.
And for inquiring minds that really want to know what I’m doing … I’ve changed the way I eat (smaller portions, no dairy, no caffeine, limited alcohol, low carbs, low fat and as much organic as possible), plus working out five to six times a week (sometimes more). At first it seemed overwhelming to think about how I would stick to this, so I committed to making it one day at a time and it gets easier every day … especially knowing others are watching me to see if I’ll fail or how much I’ll succeed.