Commitment

Success – Not the Finale but just the First Step to Dream More!

~ Anjali Chudasama ~ 13 Comments
Success Steps
Success Steps, July 24, 2013. Source: http://www.cre8asiteforums.com/2013/07/24/is-accessibility-testing-easy/success/

Everyone speaks of success, but as you have explored in the previous posts on dreams, motivation, commitment and effort, there is a lot of work that needs to occur to achieve your dreams.  However, along with these tasks, I truly believe in what the German and French theologian, philosopher, physician and missionary, Albert Schweitzer says, “Success is not the key to happiness.  Happiness is the key to success.  If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.”

Swami Vivekananda, a Hindu monk responsible for raising interfaith awareness and bringing to the forefront the Indian philosophies of Raja Yoga and Vedanta eloquently summarizes success as follows: “Take up one idea.  Make that one idea your life – think of it, dream of it, live on that idea.  Let the brain, muscles, nerves, every part of your body, be full of that idea, and just leave every other idea alone. This is the way to success.”

When we are busy dreaming and becoming committed to our goals, we think that once we get there and are finally successful, you will be so much happier.  However, as you proceed through your tasks, one realizes that since you are working hard towards something that you truly believe in or know that it is your calling, you are happy and fulfilled.  There is a peace and an enthusiasm to do more.  A voracious appetite to learn more and give it your all develops on its own.

Success does not only mean the acquisition of more money or accumulation of material possessions.  And if you have the above goals, there is nothing wrong with that but they can be achieved with perseverance and in the framework of your dreams.  If you are happier, content, positive, kinder, nicer and fulfilled today compared to yesterday, you are already successful in your path.  Also, the thought that you just want to do a little better, is already pushing you towards your dreams and well being.  Clutch on to this notion hard with both hands!  Sometimes in our negativity and false ego, we forget to celebrate the small victories.

When you are wallowing about the past and think about how good it used to be, you are depressed.  When you think about what is going to happen now and how is everything going to occur in the future, it causes anxiety.  However, in the right and uplifting frame of mind, you will analyze your past and see that you have grown and learned so much yielding you to a successful present.  Also in this state of mind, for the future you will be excited to attain more knowledge to improve further.  This optimism and love for yourself will propel you towards your happiness.  That is why it is important to make that one idea, goal or dream your everything and concentrate on the tasks ahead.

Of course, there will be road blocks, pot holes, construction zones and detours, but every step of our hardships and difficulties is just one more step towards success.  The small or big failures are not that at all but a way for us to amend, refine, enhance or enrich our map and the roads in it.  You may also experience the disheartening and disparaging thought of wanting to give up and throw in the towel along the way and it is alright to feel those things and have those thoughts.  Just realize that this is exactly the moment that you are really getting close to your goal and the fear is creating a false sense of imminent failure that does not exist.  Don’t drown or let your negative thoughts control you.  Forge ahead, you can do it!

As we near International Day of Friendship on Thursday, July 30, 2015, let us cultivate warm ties that strengthen our common humanity and promote the well-being of the human family as the eighth Secretary General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon has stated.  The idea behind this observance was to inspire peace efforts and build bridges between communities by promoting friendship between peoples, countries, cultures and individuals.  So let’s do the same for ourselves and our loved ones as we dare to dream, become motivated, make the commitment, put in the effort and become successful!

Source: 'Success kid' uses fame to help raise $90,000 for father's kidney transplant, The Independent, Jamie Campbell, April 16, 2015 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/success-kid-uses-fame-to-help-raise-90000-for-fathers-kidney-transplant-10182331.html
Source: ‘Success kid’ uses fame to help raise $90,000 for father’s kidney transplant, The Independent, Jamie Campbell, April 16, 2015
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/success-kid-uses-fame-to-help-raise-90000-for-fathers-kidney-transplant-10182331.html

PS: Read the above article for true inspiration!

Author: Anjali Chudasama

Effort – Effective Force for your Dreams

~ Anjali Chudasama ~ 2 Comments
Effort Invest Time like Ant, Source: Putting in Effort, The Zombie Shuffle 23-Jan-2015, http://thezombieshuffle.com/2015/01/23/putting-in-effort/
Effort Invest Time like Ant Source: Putting in Effort, The Zombie Shuffle, 23-Jan-2015, http://thezombieshuffle.com/2015/01/23/putting-in-effort/

So over the few weeks you have dared to dream and assessed your calling.  You have become motivated and are fully committed to making your dreams come true.  Now comes the long and strenuous part: effort.  This week, I have given some thought to the quotes by the Prime Minster of the United Kingdom from 1940-1945 and 1951-1955, Sir Winston Churchill who says, “Continuous effort not strength or intelligence is the key to unlocking your potential.  Never, never, never give up.  If you’re going through hell, keep going.”  As per the American essayist, lecturer and poet, Ralph Waldo Emerson who was the leader for the Transcendentalist movement: Enthusiasm is the mother of effort, and without it nothing great was ever achieved.

Many of you may think that Churchill’s words are a little harsh but keep in mind that effort and its related tasks are difficult.  Merriam-Webster defines effort as work done by the mind or body; a serious attempt to do something; the conscious exertion of power and lastly an effective force as distinguished from the possible resistance called into action by such a force.  Effort requires a lot of determination and should be fueled by motivation within the framework of commitment.  In addition, effort does not have to be perfect or right the first time around, it matters so much more that you tried and kept trying!

Effort has to be continuous because based on your effort you will see the results. If you put in a half-hearted attempt towards your dream, don’t be surprised if you get half of the result.  Now the result is truly not up to us, there are circumstances, situations, people, time and other conditions that might not bring our efforts to its proper fruition per our expectations or time table.  However, your effort will yield the result at a later date or when it is feasible.  In the end, it is still worth it to make the effort because it will never go to waste.  Hard work and perseverance rarely do!

During this period of exertion and steadfastness what will keep you going?  The answer is your enthusiasm and your curiosity.  Your willingness to find out what is on the other side, the excitement of what will be next and what happens when you do a certain task will help in accomplishing your goals.  These thoughts and actions will prop you up as you make your effort.  Many people who love what they are doing, never think of their duty or work as drudgery, they get out of bed with excitement ready to tackle their day.  The reason being their curiosity and enthusiasm of what will happen next propels and drives them through their effort.

What are the biggest detriments that stop the efforts?  Four major ones are listed below along with solutions on how to deal with them to ensure continuous and steadfast effort:

  1. Perfection: A feeling that the work should yield the best outcome the first time
    • Your effort does not have to be perfect, it just has to be step by step and should be about the ability to put one foot in front of the other.
  2. Disappointment: Effort not producing the results as expected
    • Your hard work is will never go to waste, as long as you are doing all the right things.  Don’t worry about the results, make a promise to yourself to show up.
  3. Excuses: I don’t want to do this or can’t do this
    • Start and keep giving yourself the pep talk that the bigger picture is about your dream.  Assess your motivation and commitment at this level.
  4. Attitude: This is too hard or this is not worth my time
    • You control your attitude and having the right attitude will keep the drive alive so that the right effort can be put in towards your tasks.

Your effort and hard work through constant evaluation, correction, operation and review will lead to the necessary transformation.  So don’t give up!  Wednesday, May 20, 2015 is International Clinical Trials’ Day that acknowledges the life changing achievements that result from the work performed by clinical researchers.  On average, to bring a  prescription drug to market takes approximately 15 years of non-clinical and clinical research.  Let’s be thankful of the efforts of organizations, clinical trial researchers, patients, animals and other supporting entities that bring treatments to market that help combat diseases and contribute to public health, safety and medical progress.

Author: Anjali Chudasama

Commitment – Framework for Dreams to Become Reality

~ Anjali Chudasama ~ 3 Comments
Hierarchy of Commitment - Conversation Circles, May 24, 2010. Source: http://conversationcircles.sg/2010/05/from-compliance-to-commitment-whats-underneath-it/
Hierarchy of Commitment – Conversation Circles, May 24, 2010. Source: http://conversationcircles.sg/2010/05/from-compliance-to-commitment-whats-underneath-it/

So over the past few weeks, you have taken the risk and are motivated to bring your dreams to fruition.  You may not have realized this but these were the first steps that you are taking towards commitment.  According to the 16th President of the United States, who preserved the Union and was an astute politician, Abraham Lincoln believed that “Commitment is what transforms a promise into reality.” While the designer of the “Great Society” and the one who expanded the role of the US federal government in education and healthcare, the 36th President of the United States, Lyndon B. Johnson (LBJ) has said, “The test before us as a people is not whether our commitments match our will and our courage; but whether we have the will and courage to match our commitments.”

Commitment is the allegiance that either you DO or you DON’T, there is no middle road.  Interest in doing or achieving something occurs when it is convenient to us and if circumstances permit.  However, commitment is when you accept no excuses, face the hardships, focus on the positives, understand the negatives and move forward with courage.  With this type of determination towards your dreams and being so motivated, how can you fail?  However, you have to make that pledge that you are all IN and there is no turning back so that your dreams can become your reality.

Commitment is a hard thing to sustain and you will go through various stages and may also move backwards.  As long as the drive to achieve is strong, you will become committed again to forge ahead and attain your dreams.  Jeff Janssen, the founder and president of the Janssen Sports Leadership Center, has created the popular concept of the commitment continuum that has the following six stages:

  1. Resistance – This is the dream killer stage where you focus on the negatives and what you CANNOT do.
  2. Reluctance – This is your wish stage.  You have an idea but are hesitant to put it in practice.
  3. Existent – This is your hope stage.  The dream is taking shape and there is some motivation.
  4. Compliant – This is your like and try stage.  Where you are finally putting the work towards your dream and are motivated.  You are excited to see the results and do the work.
  5. Committed – Now that you see some results and you feel good doing the work, you want your dreams to come true.
  6. Compelled – This is when your dream is your calling, your motivation is at its peak and your commitment is in full force.  There is no turning back now!

As you review, the commitment continuum scale, assess and analyze the stage that you are experiencing.  If you are in the first two stages, quietly think about what is stopping you.  The answer will come from within you and mostly is driven by fear.  If you have arrived at the middle two stages, then ensure that you are motivated to keep performing.  There is no room for complacency at this point.  If you are positioned at the last two stages, then the work is natural and comes from within you.  Don’t stop now!  Moreover, if you fall back in the continuum, it is okay.  Be kind to yourself and think about what changes you need to make to transform your dreams into reality.  All of us fall, it is about how quickly we can dust ourselves off and move steadily and swiftly on our path by learning from those difficulties.

As we partake in the celebration of Mother’s Day on Sunday, May 10, 2015, let’s honour these wonderful women who were committed in their goal(s) to give their children a better life, safe environments, a good education and values that make us better human beings.  In return for their sacrifices, persistence and hard work, let’s take on the duty towards our dreams with the fuel of motivation and the framework of commitment.

Author: Anjali Chudasama