I was sitting comfortably in bed, propped up on pillows, reading Simple Abundance while sipping a warm cup of Celestial Seasoning’s sweet coconut thai chai, when I remembered that I hadn’t posted to my blog today. Oh forget it, was the first thought that came to mind, I’ll do it tomorrow.
There was a time when I would have let myself get away with the worn out I’ll do it tomorrow thought. Not today. This Valerie is older and wiser and knows that tomorrow never comes.
Besides, a commitment is a commitment and I’m learning the value of honoring my commitments. I made a commitment to myself to blog each day, Monday through Friday, and to have it completed most days before 12 noon.
Because I’ve had the tendency to let myself slide with the stuff I promise myself I’ll do, I made my commitment public by putting it on the blog. Hmmmm, now if I slide, lots of other people will know about it. For me, it’s added reinforcement to stay on track.
I’ll do it tomorrow was a famous excuse I used to not honor a commitment today. No more. The buck stops here. I’ve fallen for that trick of the ego mind one too many times.
So, I got myself out of bed, came downstairs to my office and began to write this post. It’s healing, actually, to write about one’s own forays into the underworld of low thinking and slippery behavior. When I take an impersonal look at the mis-steps I’ve allowed myself to fall into–minus self judgment and harsh criticism–I know I am a different person today, the kind of person who would get out of a comfy bed to honor a commitment.
And it’s not that I have to coerce myself into doing things that I no longer desire to do, or things that don’t serve me or the people around me. Resistance most often arises around the things we love to do (for me, it’s writing and blogging is a brilliant way to instantly publish my work–which is like nirvana for a writer), the passions of the heart and soul and the desires that lead us to higher ground.
That’s why commitment is key and becomes a vital principle to employ in sustaining a life of fulfillment. Without commitment, there can be no fulfillment.
I am happy with myself today for honoring my commitment to me and to you, dear reader. I’m almost ready to post, and it’s 11:27 pm (which means it’s not tomorrow yet).
Incomplete commitments sap our life force energy and render us impotent. Besides, have you noticed that your mind has a way of reminding you of the stuff you didn’t do (or finish) when there’s absolutely nothing you can do about it–like driving down the highway and being hit with the thought that you still didn’t organize your office, which you had promised yourself you would do last Tuesday? What in the world can you do about it while driving? Nothing. That’s the way your brain works; when there are open commitments that have no plan for resolution, the mind will continue to chew on them and throw them to the foreground of conscious awareness at the most oddly peculiar and inappropriate times.
Most folks have so many open loops (stuff that was committed to but never completed) that they find it nearly impossible to have a clear, steady flow of positive thoughts which are completely void of should-haves, would-haves and could-haves.
All of it can be avoided by honoring commitments and doing what we say we will do, when we say we will do it. As a life coach, if I have an appointment with a client at 11:00 am, I’m dialing the phone at 10:59 am. When the clock strikes 11:00 am, their phone is ringing. I hold a high standard for myself of honoring commitments in excellence, which keeps my past shady behaviors from reappearing.
Honor yourself by honoring your word. Demonstrate love for yourself by going back and cleaning up any incompletions, which clears your energy field and revitalizes you for the work at hand.
Okay, I’m done. My chai is cold, yet my heart is warm. I’m going back to bed. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.
Good night,
Valerie Love
