commitments

31. Winners make commitments, losers make promises.

To use this Tool effectively we must first establish that there is a difference between promise and commitment. As you hopefully noticed in this book and maybe others, the words we choose can drastically change the directions we head and the levels we reach. Words are empowering and have some superficial meanings we know, but they can have some deeper meanings on a subconscious level. This is why we want to distinguish between a promise and a commitment.

We hear the word promise all the time. It has the meaning that we will agree to do something but sometimes it is a way of conveying that we are telling the truth. So the first problem lies in the fact that the word often can mean one of two things. Another problem with the word is that we used it often as children, a time when bending the truth or a fib was commonplace. So over time the seriousness of this word has been diminished. We promised as a child knowing we were not being truthful.

Over time this establishes an acceptance that a promise is not something ironclad. Often it is a word we use to appease someone. It is a word that is often stated in emotional situations and that also causes the validity of the word to be compromised. Notice that the word compromised has promise inside of it. I told you this book was born in illustrating to you what the most successful people are doing and one of them is making commitments, not promises. A child or person needs to graduate from promises and needs to start making commitments.

When you hear the word commitment, it just sounds more powerful than promise. People who are committed to something are all in and usually because they have an emotional component tied to it. Notice the difference. A promise is made in response to an emotional situation, while a commitment is made because the person has passion about ensuring the desired outcome. Most simply put, someone who is committed simply has more invested than someone who has made a promise.

Break a promise and you most likely let someone else down; break a commitment and you let others and mostly ourselves down. Knowing what you know now about making your own reality and that you are responsible for your environment around you, letting yourself down is no longer an option and that is why winners make commitments. So start making commitments and start being the winner that you are.