Why You Don't Get Things Done
You get some things done. But there are a lot of things you’ve been wanting to do for a long time, that you’ve never done. How come?
I’ve always wanted to be a pilot. Not an airline pilot, but a private pilot. Three of my four uncles on my mom’s side were pilots and as a kid, I flew with them. So the dream began early. At 19, one uncle offered to help me get started and I almost did. I looked into it over the years, but never went for it. When I turned 35, I started to get serious about it and read several books to learn the best way to get started. I visited local airports and talked to them about their programs.
But I’m not a pilot. I’ve never taken a single lesson.
I’ve also always wanted to scuba dive. Since the first PBS special with Jacques Cousteau that I watched at the age of 8, I dreamed of swimming under the ocean surface among coral reefs, exploring sea life. Again, I can point to several times in my life when I came close to pursuing it.
Today, however, I am a scuba diver. I’m licensed to do and I love it.
The difference between these two dreams and why one was fulfilled and the other was not? Thirteen years ago I made a commitment to learn to dive. I signed up for lessons and bought equipment. With piloting, I kept thinking about it, dreaming about it, wanting to do it, but never did. Because…I never made the commitment.
The biggest difference between the things you do and the things you don’t do is with one little word, “commitment."
You’ll never do what you do not commit to.
Now, that’s not the only reason we do not get things done. There’s still hard work, follow-through and dedication. But none of those things ever play into accomplishing anything until a commitment is made.
Commitment. That’s it. It’s what is holding back some of your relationships and keeping you from that career. It’s why some of you have never gone anywhere spiritually. It’s why some you struggle with making friends. It’s the difference between boys and men, girls and women. Men and women make commitments and keep them. Boys and girls don’t.
It’s time. It’s time to cross the point of no-return and say, I’m going to do it. It’s time to stop revving your engines, take your foot off the brake and hit the gas. It’s time to sign on the dotted line.