I used to think that I knew what commitment and persistence meant. Trying hard. Making a lot of attempts. However, I didn't grasp the true meaning of these concepts until I read a small book entitled, "Over the top" by Zig Ziglar.
Commitment is the essence of The Ultimate Secret. According to the author, the key to getting what you want is the "willingness to do whatever it takes" to accomplish your objective. Now, before your mind jumps to conclusions, let me add that in saying "whatever it takes," I exclude all actions which are illegal, unethical or which harm other people.
So, exactly what do I mean by this "willingness?" Let me explain further. It's a mental attitude, which says: if the process to reach my goal takes five steps, I'll do those five steps; if it requires 1,005 steps, I'll do those 1,005 steps. Of course, at the outset of any endeavor, you usually won't know exactly how many steps will be required to reach your goal. This doesn't matter. To succeed, all that's necessary is that you make a commitment to do whatever it takes - regardless of the number of steps involved.
Where does persistence fit in? Persistent action follows commitment - that is, you first must be committed to something before you will persist to achieve it. Once you have made a commitment to achieve your goal, then you will follow through with relentless determination and action until you attain the desired result.
The "Magic" of Commitment
When you make a commitment and are willing to do whatever it takes, you begin to attract the people and circumstances necessary to accomplish your goal. For instance, once you devote yourself to becoming, say, a best-selling author, you might suddenly "bump into" a literary agent or "discover" a television program offering advice on this very topic. It's not as if these resources never existed before, it's just that your mind never focused on finding them. Once you commit yourself to something, you create a mental picture of what it would be like to achieve it. Then, your mind immediately goes to work, like a magnet, attracting events and circumstances which will help bring your picture into reality. This is not an overnight process, however; you must be active and seize the opportunities as they appear.
The magic which flows from commitment has never been more eloquently or more accurately described than in the following words by W. N. Murray: "Until one is committed there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness.... The moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would otherwise never have occurred. A whole stream of events issue from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his way." Another miraculous feature of the power of commitment is that you don't need to know up front how to achieve your goal. Having a plan will greatly assist you, but it is not essential that every step be mapped out in advance. In fact, when you have the willingness to do whatever it takes, the right steps are often suddenly revealed to you.
A Word of Caution
Before you get too excited about waltzing easily toward your goals cautions you. Even with a commitment, everything will not be rosy on your path. Life will test you to see how serious you are about achieving your objective. Obstacles will arise. You'll make mistakes and suffer disappointments and setbacks, some of which may be quite severe and even tempt you to abandon your goal. That's when it becomes important to follow the sage wisdom of Winston Churchill, who said: "Never, never, never give up." Or the advice provided by Madonna in one of her hit songs: "You get up again... over and over!" If you have made a commitment to accomplish a goal, you can overcome temporary defeats... and triumph.
Now, let's assume you have a goal in mind. The next question to ask yourself is: Am I willing to do whatever it takes to achieve this goal? If your answer is: I'll do just about anything, except that I won't do ___, you are not willing to do whatever it takes. And the likelihood is that you will be derailed and not achieve your objective.
Take Action!
Now that you've learned about the power of commitment, it's time to apply the principle. So, go ahead. Select a goal, which you have a burning desire to achieve. Make a commitment to do whatever it takes to achieve this goal. Start moving forward and get ready to notice and take advantage of all opportunities, which come your way. Then follow through with persistent action and get ready to succeed
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