How can you improve at following through on your commitments?

Explore your Chances of Success
Look at the commitments you've made in your life. What percentage were completed by the deadline - write down your answer between 0% and 100%.

If it's not 100%, then what's the difference between those you kept and those you failed to keep? Your answer to this crucial question can change your life: When do you find it easier to break a commitment?

What's the Common Denominator?
Some say that it's easier to keep promises to other people than themselves. If that's you, you need to clear on just how important you are in your own life. Realize that you are the only person guaranteed to have your best interests in mind, only you can guarantee this.

Explore the circumstances which stop you keeping a commitment. What happened to make you fail? Writing down your answers will help you avoid such self sabotage in the future. Become more aware of circumstances in which you find it easy to break a commitment. Then avoid such situations.

[Aside. When someone else promises they have your best interests in mind, then be very, very skeptical! Your partner, maybe, but how about politicians? Remember that Adolf Hitler, the infamous Nazi Germany leader said: "The great masses of the people will more easily fall victims to a big lie than to a small one." He went on to add: "What good fortune for those in power that people do not think."

So stop believing others and think for yourself. Explore what they want you to believe, will it help them stay in power? If so, then how can they be trusted? The secret of success is to stop believing in believing, you need empirical, evidence-based knowledge instead!

Do you Want to Do It?
Some people make promises they don't want to complete. But why? You don't have to do anything, although there are consequences to every choice you make.

You may say, I don't want to but I have to - my kids need feeding! But then you're choosing to work at a job you hate in order to meet your responsibilities. So enjoy being responsible rather than a self-indulgent and irresponsible person who refuses.

Realize that your decision to have kids years ago included the commitment to look after them until they're 18 and capable of looking after themselves. So working to feed the kids is the consequence of your previous choice along with your current choice to be responsible.

If you promised to look after your partner in sickness and in health, then since you gave your word - keep it. You will change your life by keeping your commitments.

Did you Mean It?
Even saying "I'll do something" is informal, but it's still giving your word. At that moment you presumable intend to do it! If you don't, then why lie? You know you're not telling the truth!

When you do not tell the truth, then you deceive. Either yourself or someone else. But, in the long-term, how can deception be a secret of success?

Untruths about whether you will do or not do something can only lead to disappointment and loss of self-esteem. The result of an idea is never separate from its source. When the source is untruth and deception, which has no power, then how can the result have any power? In many cases, deception and untruth is also illegal.

Ensure It Will Be Done
If you change your mind later and decide not to do it, you destroy the momentum you have already put into it. This is not wrong, yet won't change your life. Changing your mind just wastes the time and energy you've invested so far. It also destroys respect and helps you be seen as untrustworthy.

If you cannot both promise and mean that you'll follow through 100% as promised, then you're setting yourself up for failure. This suggests that it's just too much for you at this time. So don't make such a big promise!

Chunk it down into smaller bite-size pieces which you can complete 100% guaranteed. The secret of success is to choose only the first task and commit to that instead. You need to end up with a commitment that you can guarantee to complete 100%. One that you can take to the bank.

© Copyright worldwide Cris Baker, www.LifeStrategies.net All rights reserved. Republishing welcomed under Creative Commons noncommercial no derivatives license preserving all links intact, so please +1 and share this widely!

Food for Thought
"Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does."

- William James 1842–1910. American psychologist, physician, Harvard professor, philosopher.

Author's Bio: 

Cris Baker has much practice in overcoming adversity, he's been screwing things up for years! Why suffer the consequences of your own mistakes? Now you can benefit from real knowledge, crucial know-how gained from his vast experience with extensive pain and suffering!

Check out commitment, self sabotage, and change your life at Life Strategies to give yourself the inner power of commitment, overcome your self sabotage and discover how to change your life!