A thought about commitment

"Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do."
- Johann van Goethe

Today's thought makes me think of a expression in Quebec for "walk the talk": "Vos bottines suivent vos babines" (your boots follow your lips)

Commitment is "I do what I say is most important to me." It is about taking action on an intention, walking the talk.

Resolutions without action are meaningless. The action does not need to be revolutionary, simply start with baby steps.

Back when I started running in 1984, my resolution that year was to get in shape. I could barely run around the block. I felt so self-conscious, but I did it, a little bit at a time, and that little trip around the block got longer and longer, and eventually I ran marathons and even survived duathlons (run-bike-run) and triathlons.

My newly-developed fitness level freed me to master other sports, like alpine skiing, telemark skiing, long-distance cycling, backcountry hiking and camping, and so many other wonderful adventures.

24 years later, I'm still at it. I've had ups and downs, off years and good years, but yes, I am running! And I am grateful for having applied myself and taken action so many years ago.

The key to permanent action is to reprogram old ways of being into new rituals: positive, frequent, conscious and automatic behaviours that create results that are in alignment with my mission, my vision and the experience of life I really want.

Nowadays, if I have to take a day off of some kind of physical activity, I feel stressed-out, uncomfortable, almost like suffering a kind of "drug" withdrawal! The moment I perform my fitness ritual of the day, whether it be a run or spinning or a weight workout, I feel so much better and can concentrate on the next task. (This is why I personally prefer to work out in the morning, so that this ritual makes me feel complete.)

Rituals start by taking one step at a time. With respect to your resolution, what is a simple, brief, daily commitment that you can start today to take you one baby-step closer to the results you really want?