A Commitment with Conditions

Achievement doesn't happen, it's caused. For some, commitment is a useless word. They can't use it because they don't have it. Achieving entrepreneurs must have commitment to a cause they believe in. Achievement requires it.

You have a choice of whether to be a commitment avoider or a commitment exploiter. Most achievers are deal-with-the-real, pragmatic people. They live in today's reality. Achievers commit to their dreams while under-achievers just dream. Will you accept dreaming as your contribution, or pay the price to commit?

The first condition necessary for commitment is belief–in your product or service. If you want to be an achieving salesperson, the product or service you're selling must conform to your ethical system. Otherwise, you won't commit. And if you don't commit, you won't achieve.

The second condition necessary for commitment is investment. The more you've thought, the more you've tinkered, the more money and time you've invested, the greater your commit-ment. There's a direct relationship between your level of investment and your level of commitment and the enjoyment achievement provides.

The third condition necessary for commitment is ownership. The more personal the origin of an idea or the more unique and creative, the greater the importance it has to the creator and the easier commitment becomes. Lack of idea ownership is a major reason large organizations find it difficult to be entrepreneurial. An idea's identity is easily lost, and the resulting impersonal-ization dilutes the individual pride and enthusiasm necessary to sponsor an idea to completion.

Little is achieved without commitment. It creates growth and fosters self-esteem and self-determination. It gets us off “mental welfare.”

You have a choice. What price are you willing to pay? Achievers have dreams. And they commit to them.