Motivation is not commitment.

Time: 7:05 AM
Date: 22nd January 2008

Motivation is not commitment. Too often these concepts are confused.

Motivation is how much you want something. Commitment is what you are prepared to do or sacrifice in order to get the something you want.

‘Oh, I’ve just attended a seminar and I am feeling really motivated!’ ‘I want to live an amazing life and tap my true potential!’ Unless these statements are backed up by an equal dose of commitment, the best thing that can happen to the person making them is for the motivation to drain right out of their system.

Motivation comes with hope and no one likes to have their hopes crushed by reality. “But this time I am really psyched - I am really going to do it.” Not without commitment you won’t.

No matter how motivated you are feeling in this moment, your motivation will drop away in the future. We’ll have moments when we are psyched. We’ll have periods of deflation. When the deflation kicks in we either crash or we struggle through. Those who struggle through deflation demonstrate depth of commitment.

Those who crash when feeling not so motivated show us what happens when we are dictated by our emotions. Until they generate depth of commitment they will not come close to exploring their potential.

In studies conducted on sports people it has been shown that there is a huge difference in the commitment levels of those who excel relative to those who don’t. The gap is not so large in the motivation stakes. Somebody going for a Saturday morning stroll might feel more motivated then the athlete facing up to a gruelling workout at the gym.

Feelings of motivation won’t mean much when pain, fatigue, adversity and deflation set in. It’s look like rain up ahead and the non committed finds themselves at home gorging on a take away pizza in front of the T.V. The committed Saturday stroller and the committed athlete expect challenges and they expect to move right through them.

So what is the highest level of commitment? When you are prepared to do whatever it takes. Doing whatever it takes is not about being reckless and certainly not about perfectionism. It’s about doing our best to see things through no matter what and maintaining our integrity.

I was once in a 12 step recovery group and I heard somebody say that their mentor had told them that they should never ‘pick up’ their substance of choice, no matter what. “If your entire family die in a car crash, do not pick up. If your house burns to the ground ,do not pick up. There are no set of circumstances possible where picking up is OK,” said the mentor.

In the opening of Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, the preamble seems to support this suggestion of complete commitment, “We stood at a turning point. Half measures availed us nothing.”

And for those of us not in recovery but serious about raising our consciousness, we are warned by Sri Ramakrishna, "Do not seek enlightenment unless you seek it as a man whose hair is on fire seeks a pond."

Not interested in enlightenment nor recovery? In the domain of businesses start-ups an often quoted statistic in the United States points to a harrowing fact: Approximately 95% of new businesses fail within the first five years of operation. Of the five percent that remain, approximately 95% of these fail within the following five years.

A friend of mine in the venture capital industry told me recently, “The days of giving money to brilliant business plans are gone. It is expected that every plan will fail. After the plan fails, it comes down to the character of the people behind it.”

When I was 18 years old I had a goal of becoming world champion in water ski racing. During a training session a submerged log caused me to fall at over 120 kilometres per hour.

The impact of the water caused major nerve damage and I was told that my right arm would remain paralysed and painful for the rest of my life. A few months passed and I went to work. Two years down the track I competed at the world championships. I was employed to assist one third of the Australian team.

The skiers that employed me won numerous medals including gold, silver and bronze in the overall championships. More importantly, for me, I had discovered my great passion: Assisting people to use their mind and body to do their very best in any context.

Whether it be recovery, business, personal development, sport or any pursuit, the path requires commitment. The universe will do its part, (on its time and in its own way — not ours) when we follow through.

Any thoughts or feedback? You can email me personally or post a public response below.

All the best!

Michael Dayes
Phone: 02 96532967
Mobile: 04 1234 2114
Postal: PO Box 788 Darlinghurst
NSW 1300 Australia
Appointment room: 26 Yarrara Road
Pennant Hills NSW 2120
www.michaeldayes.com

Comments

[Mike]

I like what you have to say about commitment. It is most wise. but God, you sound, a bit full on!

[Nicole]

Thanks for posting this, Michael. In fact, even with commitment one needs structure and clarity on how to make things seem achieveable, progressing through different facets of what is required before reaching the goal. And I think once that path is developed, it's easier to remain committed. But I think it's easy to get off track too so there needs to be a few roundabouts in the path which allow for a bit of a directional change at times - but which eventually get you back on the path to where you want to go...

[jenny]

I am really amused to read the comment of Mike's which says that your "motivation is not committment" piece is "a bit full on".

Do you think the comment was tongue in cheek meaning that you seem to be "totally committed" to getting across your point?
Or is it you Michael actually commenting on your own blog?

Seriously now, I found that simple statement "motivation is not committment" a real reminder to me to really think about what
are my committments, what do I feel strongly about, what do I want to change or improve - what is important enough to me for me to commit my energies to? A big problem is the fact that I have things I WANT to do and things that NEED to be done and then there are many things that HAVE to be done. How does one get the committment for the things that
HAVE and NEED to be done when all I am really committed to is what I WANT to do? Any tips?

[D]

hi Michael, I am so glad that I came across your website profile...I am glad to see that it's ok to 'struggle' and perhaps even loose 100% performance as a result of being 'deflated' when one tries to stay motivated and committed in what ever they are doing. I know personally and professionally know how hard it is to stay focused and try not to be too disillusioned when trouble hits or you're taken off track from the targeted goals. I often feel guilty if I stray away from being 100% motivated and committed . It would be nice to find ways where I can more easily allow for the 'downs' to not get me so down and guilty.

I would also like to point out that i find it amazing when people have traumatic life events and how some react in an amazing motivated fashion towards (which some would think are unattainable goals)doing something inspirational and life changing in itself.

I too had a life changing event. Infact my whole life feels like a plethora of traumatic events, from living with a family where both my mum and sister have mental illnesses to me having a stroke from a reaction to mixing cigarette smoking with contraceptive medication. I not only came through it without scares but I came through it with such a motivation and commitment to go to uni (at age 29) to not only finish a bachelor degree but to go straight into a masters degree! I would rate my motivation and commitment extremely high especially knowing how much turbulence I had whilst I was trying to finish my degrees. Mum was sick in my both my final semesters of my degrees. I went through hell but kept going. I honestly feel like I have something to proove even though I have proved myself exponentially over and over.

[dofus]

I would also like to point out that i find it amazing when people have traumatic life events and how some react in an amazing motivated fashion

[dofus kamas]

To be able under all circumstances to practice five things constitutes perfect virtue; these five things are gravity, generosity of soul, sincerity, earnestness and kindness.

[columbia jackets sale]

I think once that path is developed, it's easier to remain committed.