It can be said many ways. I heard one this week.

Don’t be mad at results you didn’t get for work you didn’t do.

Jasmine Star

Whoa, right? That hit a little too close to home as that’s exactly what I’ve been doing. I tell everyone, all the time, they’re not going to knock on your door, looking for you. And that’s no matter what it is you’re looking for; new friends, community, clients, even love. You have to be out there.

I’ve also heard it said, in regards to making music – “You can’t just visit, you have to live there.” That’s a commitment. Are you willing to commit to that kind of work? It’s not easy. We live in a world rife with excuses. To name a few:

• I don’t have the time
• Or the patience
• The equipment I need costs too much
• It’s going to take too long
• I don’t have the space

I’m sure you could add to this list – I’m sure everyone could. But you know what? We’re not going to do that today. Instead, we’re going to look at ways to build solid commitments to yourself to do the things that you really want to do!

Ok, How Do I Do That?

Let’s create a scenario. Let’s say I want to be a better piano player (or painter, or motivational speaker, or anything you want), I don’t automatically start with Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto #2… Do I?

Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto no.2 op.18 – Anna Fedorova

Of course not! Talk about setting yourself up for failure! But seriously, how often do you do the equivalent of this? Pretty often, if you’re anything like me. Let’s try a different angle. I’m going to lay out a step by step approach and I believe that if you really commit to this practice you’ll see incredible results.

Five Tips to Making a Solid Commitment

1. Create Bite Sized, Achievable Goals – pick a small project, one that you can manage, but will also give you some pleasure in doing them and achieving them. If painting is what you’re going for, choose a small canvas, or a wooden block and create on that – Motivational speaking? Create a 5 minute talk on something that you’re passionate about, etc.
2. Set Boundaries – Really make this practice time a sacred space. Schedule it around some downtime in your day – don’t try to do this as the kids are coming in from school, or when everyone is going to start asking what’s for dinner. Let the people in your life know that you need this time to yourself and don’t let anyone persuade you to skip it. Unless they’re bleeding, it’s not an emergency that can’t wait 30 minutes.
3. Block out your schedule – Put this time on your calendar – put it on the family calendar if you have one. Silence your devices and really give this time and task your full attention. (When I’m practicing the piano and I’m using my iPad for the sheet music, I put the iPad on Airplane Mode.)
4. Enlist help – We all need help. Every single one of us. Ask for it. Enlist a trusted friend to help you stay on track (make sure it’s a friend that supports your goals!), ask your partner to take care of the kids (or dog, or cat) while you work on this, find someone who is a little further along in this practice and check in with them now and then.
5. Schedule your own performance review – Every month or so, take a look at your progress. Try to look at it without emotion, just like a performance review at work – What’s working? What isn’t? What changes can you make to your practice that will take you even further? This is not an opportunity to beat yourself up – it’s keeping track of your progress.

Steal this graphic! Right Click and Save – put it on your phone screen or on your desktop, anywhere you can see it often in order to keep yourself on the right path!

So that’s my take on progress and commitment. What do you think? Worth a try? I’d love to hear about it. And if you’re not quite sure what you want to work on, try this form. You can print it and fill it out, or you could fill it out and hit submit. I’ll get a copy of it and then I promise to reach out with my thoughts.