Live Easy, Avoid Commitment

Do you know what the easiest thing one can do?

Avoid commitment.

That’s it. It doesn’t matter what it is, commitment means responsibility. And, responsibility is hard. Commitment induces a chance of failure, it elicits vulnerability, and it’s down right uncomfortable. So, to avoid difficultly in your life, my advice would be to avoid commitment at every turn.

Don’t commit to yourself. Don’t commit to others. Don’t commit to your intellectual pursuits. Of course, you shouldn’t commit to your physical development. And, life will be easy peasy. Period.

Without a single commitment, one really can’t fail.

Now, after reviewing everything I just said, I think the real question to start asking is, “Well, is that the goal?” I think we’d all start to come around to realize that living an easy life (though it could be nice) isn’t really the goal. And, sure.. failure sucks, but is not failing the goal, either?

I meant what I said earlier. Not committing is the easiest decision one can make. But, I also mean it when I say everything worth living for is in true commitments. The failure, the honor, the integrity, the pursuit… it’s where the juice is.

Don’t believe me? Look someone in the eyes and promise them something. Commit. And, watch your behavior change.

Statements like, “Honey, I promise I will be home at 8PM” start to have an affect on your decisions at 7PM, for example. You’ve got to get the job done. Sure, sometimes there’s traffic and you get home at 8:15, but the pursuit was different than it would have been. The upcoming “Grace” Challenge is a microcosm of this concept, as well. “I’m going to get stronger” turns into a whole new animal when your money and your reputation are on the line. And, I think we all could imagine what the NFL would look like without commitment: “Ten seconds on the clock, it’s fourth and goal, Cam Newton to take the snap.. And, he’s… walking off the field?”

Thank goodness it doesn’t look that way though, right? Instead, Cam Newton is committed to himself and the team, and he’s got to walk into the fire and earn glory or face failure.

A common example of this is the nomadic fitness fanatic. So, you’ve taken five yoga classes, two CrossFit classes, three Bar Method classes, and you’ve hit Runyon Canyon six times this month. Brilliant. When are you going to commit to something? Anything?

Inject your life with some next level relationships, fitness, career developments, etc. Pour your heart out, because until you do so your efforts are just amateur by comparison. Grow up and commit.

 

Logan Gelbrich