Committing to the Commitment

At the age of 67, Thomas Edison watched as fire destroyed much of his work and equipment. Time to retire? Time to hang up the lab coat? No way.“All our mistakes are burned up,” the inventor said. “Now we can start anew.”

There is a time to retire, but Edison knew his time hadn’t come. The fire that consumed his work didn’t destroy the fire that burned within him to continue his work. Edison’s commitment remained.

People tend to associate commitment with emotions. If they feel the right way, then they can follow through on their commitments. But true commitment doesn’t work that way.  Commitment is not an emotion; it’s a character quality that enables us to reach our goals.

Emotions go up and down all the time, but commitment must remain rock solid. A solid team—whether it’s in business, sports, marriage or a volunteer organization—must have team players who are solidly committed to the team.

Four things every team player needs to know about being committed:
1. Commitment is usually discovered in the midst of adversity.
2. Commitment does not depend on gifts and abilities.
3. Commitment results from choices, not conditions.
4. Commitment lasts when it is based on values.

By John C. Maxwell