Commitment: A Cardinal Virtue for Personal and Professional Success
Commitment is more than just a quality we admire in others—it is a profound virtue that lies at the heart of human achievement and fulfillment.
Commitment is more than just a quality we admire in others—it is a profound virtue that lies at the heart of human achievement and fulfillment.
Few figures embody the spirit of resilience, determination, and innovation quite like Thomas Edison. His words remind us that success is rarely the result of one brilliant idea or lucky break—it’s built through persistence, hard work, and an unwavering belief in moving forward, even when faced with obstacles.
It is fascinating to watch the Olympics for many reasons, and I enjoy observing how different athletes handle pressure. Some people easily seize the moment, while others sadly fall apart and make uncharacteristic mistakes. When you get to this level of performance excellence, about every competing athlete has superlative physical gifts and natural ability. What separates the winners from the losers is often their mental toughness and emotional resiliency. They have grace under pressure.
Most people live their lives reactively rather than proactively. Instead of controlling their time and schedule they let events control them. If you always choose to just make it up as you go along, don’t be surprised if you are often disappointed with the outcomes you are getting. Create some basic structure to your daily life and you will actually end up feeling liberated to do more of what you want to do because you will have more time to do it in.
Leaders should be in a constant learning mode. Once you think you know it all, give up the reins of power because you will become detrimental to your organization. While some fundamental beliefs may remain true regardless of the circumstances, most of what happens in business is in a constant state of flux. Your goal should be to stay ahead of the change curve, not fall behind it. One way to do this is to keep asking questions and seeking answers. You can never be smart enough.
Most things of importance and value in life require some level of effort. Some people get lucky and have success, happiness, and self-fulfillment fall into their laps, but they are rare. A little extra effort makes a big difference in life. We all must accept that many people may be more intelligent, better looking, more talented, have more advantages, and be more capable than we are; however, only you can decide whether they will outwork you. I have found that when you are tired and/or feeling lazy and could easily talk yourself out of doing something, but do it anyway, that separates you from the pack. Success in life and business requires consistent, focused, sustained effort.
It always bothers me when someone complains about another person’s good fortune by saying they were just lucky. Sure some people get lucky but pure luck is much rarer than you think. Very few people ever win the lottery. Even those that do win big usually play the game for many years before striking it rich. Of course, some people do start out with more advantages than others, but as someone who knows a number of people born into wealthy families; this advantage comes fraught with its own different set of problems. Resenting the success of others is a waste of time and energy. It is also an unattractive character flaw and if you are not careful leads to a victim mentality.
Never settle for mediocrity in others or yourself. Greatness is a choice, although occasionally it can also choose you. Far too many businesses limp along or merely survive rather than thrive. Far too many people are dissatisfied with the outcomes in their lives. To achieve anything of significance requires passion, diligence, hard work, commitment, and raising your expectations of what’s possible.
Fulfilling your commitments is a critical part of achievement. The most successful people I know do what they say they are going to do when they say they are going to do it. They are also excellent at “being present” in the moment and fully engaged in whatever they are doing. They avoid distractions and abhor excuses. High performance is not optional but instead a way of life.
As a leader, personal growth and development don’t always require strenuous labor or demanding tasks. Here are fifteen easy things you can do right away to improve your performance and results:
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