| GOING ALL IN, because that is the level of commitment required when it comes to crushing your goals. “If you liked it, then you shoulda put a ring on it. .. “ So said Beyoncé, singing about what happens when you don’t commit. Putting a ring on it indicates an INTENTION of marriage and an all-in commitment. That level of commitment means everyone else is off the table – your commitment is to that other person. There’s zero wiggle room! Clayton Christensen, a Harvard business professor, calls this the 100% Rule. When we’re 100% in, it’s simpler – • Less choice means less decision fatigue. • 98% in means you really haven’t put a ring on it – it’s just lip service! Clayton Christensen said it well: “It’s easier to hold your principles 100% of the time than 98% of the time.” (Dessert maybe?) This is backed by research! – 100% is a decision – 98% is not a decision Partial commitment doesn’t put a ring on it, and I honestly doubt anyone would be cool to go to the altar with a partner who was only 98% committed. There’s no security in that. There’s the thought that when your partner is out of town, maybe he’s using the 2% rule at a bar that night? There’s a lot of questions on what 98% means – and we’re only talking about 2%! When we look at how being 100% committed affects our decision making, it’s easy to see clean lines – black and white. The elimination of gray. When we’re NOT 100% committed, we lose the ability to predict our own behavior – have you noticed that? Should I eat this or not? (Especially this time of year!) You go to a party with decent intentions, but you leave wishing you had backed away from the buffet table or drank a little less eggnog. And when you REPEATEDLY fail to keep your commitment to yourself, you end up confused, depressed, and way less confident in your ability to do what you say you want to do. Lowered confidence can be translated into being easily talked into or swayed to do something you had previously decided against – you quickly say yes to something (dessert maybe!) and put yourself in conflict with your own integrity. Robert Brault said, “We are kept from our goal not by obstacles, but by a clear path to a lesser goal.” 100% saves you from this mess because the answer is an established NO. • It was a part of your goal. • You’ve already made a decision. • You knew it would be coming, and you prepared. • You told whoever needed to know in advance. AND all of that makes your experience predictable, stable, and unquestionable. The back and forth of decision fatigue isn’t a thing. As an example of 100%, my mom quit drinking 30 years or so before she passed. There was a myriad of different reasons, but it was a done deal – she was done, and everyone knew it. • I stopped offering her wine when she came over. • She’d order a virgin margarita when we’d go for Mexican. • She never asked for just a little … Benjamin Hardy says to project to the future – “What would my future self do?” If you’re trying to lose weight, how do you see yourself a year from now if you’re 100% committed? – What are you doing? – What are you wearing? – How do you feel? Jack Canfield, author of Chicken Soup for the Soul, says: “Successful people adhere to the ‘no exceptions rule’ when it comes to their daily disciplines. 99% is a bitch. 100% is a breeze!” Wholehearted commitment might seem hard, but I promise you 98% is a whole lot harder. So here’s what you need to do with all of this: 1. Determine what in your life needs 100% commitment -not everything does! 2. Plan it out, think it through, give it all you’ve got! 3. Shampoo, Rinse, Repeat, Repeat, Repeat … Remember Brendan Burchard’s quote: • First it’s an intention. • Then it becomes a behavior., • Then it becomes a habit. • Then it becomes a practice. • Then it becomes second nature. • Then it is simply who you ARE. Being 100% committed to something that means a great deal to you will get you there. Anything less is half-assery and a big waste of time and energy. This is the secret to hitting your most meaningful goals out of the park! |
