According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, commitment is defined as “a promise to be loyal to someone or something, the attitude of someone who works very hard to do or support something.”

Here are some situations we make commitments…..

Workplace: When we are hired to do anything, we commit to work the best that we can at what is asked of us. A bonus would be to learn more than you already do pertaining to your job. Expanding your interest at work makes work more exciting, unless you are not fully committed to your work. If this is the case for you….Figure out why you are unhappy at work, what would make you happy at work, either fix it or find a place of employment you enjoy going to.

Children: This is a huge commitment and one many do not even realize. I did not grow up with a good, caring mom, but I have been lucky enough to have surrogate parents whom I truly love and they still check in with me, even at sixty-two years young. I have one daughter and two step-daughters. It’s important to be there for them through everything. Being a parent is a lifelong commitment. Parents should be their for their children until the end of time.

Friendships: Relationships are so hard to commit to sometimes. Friends are like a revolving door at times, unless you’ve had the same job and lived in the same town all of your life. I am not one of those people. I have became close to so many people at different employment places. Thank goodness for social media to keep friends in our lives.

We sometimes change throughout our lives and so do our friends. When you live close to one another…..you tend to do things together more and interact more. Sometimes life gets in the way with close friendships. But….you always have those friends who you don’t talk to for years and then when you do talk to them….it’s like you never lost touch….and that is a true friendship.

Marriage: Commitment is huge in a marriage. Without commitment, why get married? Yes, sometimes we lose that spark and we get a divorce, but it’s important to look at why the marriage is losing its spark before the spark completely goes out? To have full commitment in a marriage, it takes communication. Without communication how can you commit to a marriage? See my point…. I got married the first time at the age of seventeen, and no….I wasn’t pregnant, I needed to get out of a homelife situation that was not a comfortable one and it was jeopardizing my mental health. I’m beyond thankful I was saved.

My second marriage was good until we lost communication and started living separate lives, which is not healthy at all for anyone. You can get a roommate without having to marry them (wink). I was scared to communicate and, had I been a strong woman at that time, as I am now….who knows what would have happened. I will write about this topic more in depth in another post. I just wanted to touch on the importance of how commitment and communication go hand in hand in a marriage.

Pets: First thing I want to say about this is….DO NOT get a pet if you cannot commit to them. Pets are family, more like your child(ren) and you know how I feel about having children and committing to be there for them till the end of time. Yep….you commit wholeheartedly to any pet you have.

I saved the best commitment for the last, a Commitment to Yourself: Be responsible for your actions and mistakes. Commit to your health and continuous growth. Set goals and commit to them, follow through while continuing to inspire yourself without hitting a burn-out stage. Commit to believe in yourself. Commit to your happiness, if you are happy….so are those around you, happiness is contagious just as positivity is.

Commit to not spreading yourself thin, if you can’t handle what everyone is asking of you….Learn to say “no” with pride and without hurting others. Sometimes a little explaining why you are saying no helps, not a huge long explanation, but one that helps ease the discomfort of saying no. Commit to a life you are happy with. Before you go to bed, commit to write down what you are grateful for for the day and watch your grateful list grow tremendously.

Keeping commitments is not only rewarding, but also life changing. Never be scared of a commitment that makes you smile.

Trust the Journey and Life Lessons,

Alexis Life Coach Inner Abilities LLC

Alexis BSc(Psyc), MILC

Holistic Life Coach & Counselor