Commitment

"Commitment is caring deeply about something or someone. It is deciding carefully what you want to do, then giving it 100%, holding nothing back. You give your all to a friendship, a task, or something you believe in. You finish what you start. You keep your promises." -excerpts from the Virtues cards with permission from The Virtues Project™

We often think of commitment as it applies to life's major decisions: marriage, parenting, our faith, our work. These commitments often are made with much discernment. There are other commitments that we make to ourselves. Recently my friend Cynthia and I decided to make a commitment to support each other in our work and in our personal lives. Our intention is to help each other keep our commitments to ourselves, by listening and helping each other clarify our goals, and by providing some accountability for each other. We each work alone and we often don't have to be accountable to others. Accountability is important for us to reach our goals. Sometimes we don't take our commitments to ourselves as seriously as those we make to others. So, for this week, I will commit to doing two things that will help me reach my goals. And my friend will check in with me next week to see how I'm doing. I know she will offer good listening and encouragement, without judgment. I know that I will be calling on my self-discipline, discernment and self-care to do what I said I would, to keep my commitment to myself.

Questions for reflection:

1. How do I make decisions about what I want to commit to?

2. What accountability helps me to keep my promises to myself?

3. How do my actions match my words?

4. What have I committed to finishing that is really hard?

The Virtues Project™ strategies help children, youth and adults develop commitment and many other virtues.