Total Commitment by Stacy Frazier

A hen and a pig were walking down the street together when they passed a sign advertising ham and eggs.  Said the hen,“Isn’t it great that we can be of service? Doesn’t it make you feel just wonderful to be able to do something for others?” The pig replied, “For you it is small daily service given with little cost to yourself. For me, it is total commitment!  The hen was involved, but the pig was committed!

I have been thinking a lot of about commitments lately and thought I’d share a few things I found as well as add my two cents!  I listened to an interview of a young man recently named Kyle Dake who is a four time NCAA wrestling champion in four different weight classes. He talked about many things that helped him achieve the success he has had but what he said about commitment was outstanding.  He said his parents didn’t push him into anything but if he did commit to something, he’d have to honor that commitment.  By being held accountable to those commitments, he was able to achieve his goals. His philosophy includes hard work, positive thinking and never giving up.  He said, “You can only lose when you quit.”

The journey of success is long and dotted with a series of commitments to worthy goals.  A person does not become committed to worthwhile goals just by making the declaration or decision.  It must be daily progression toward established purposes.   Dale Carnegie once said, “If you are not in the process of becoming the person you want to be, you are automatically engaged in becoming the person you don’t want to be.”  Goals that we set to become better people are just that without commitment.  Total commitment entails work. Our actions have to mirror what we say. Goals should always be made to a point that will make us reach and strain. “Success should not necessarily be gauged by always reaching the goal set, but by progress and attainment.” (Spencer W. Kimball) True happiness is not made in getting something. True happiness is becoming something. This can be done by being committed to lofty goals. We cannot become something without commitment.

We have many examples in our little town of what the power of commitment can do. Whether committed to another person, a program, a relationship, a worthy goal, a team, a personal standard, or living up to a promise to yourself, without that inward obligation, the success will not be complete.  Marvin J. Ashton said, “I’m thinking of a five-year old boy who fell out of bed during the night and came crying to his mother’s beside. To her question, “Why did you fall out of bed?” he replied.  “I fell out because I wasn’t far in far enough!”

The simple differences between those committed and those who are not is the difference between the words want and will.  To reap the full benefits of life, we must fill our days with commitment to worthy goals. We must be all the way in!   As we stay accountable to our commitments by appropriate actions, we will find that we will grow and improve along the way.