Commitment is a personal decision to something: to lose weight, be a better parent, learn a language, take care of someone… whatever it is, you name it.
When you commit, you’re deciding to invest your time, energy, and other resources to reach a certain goal or to pursue a certain direction in life.
You can “measure” how committed you are to something or someone simply evaluating how much time you have dedicated to it. Track how you spend your time for a week and see how much time you have:
- Dedicated to learning a language
- Spent with your children or learning how to be a better parent?
Your agenda will give you a real vision of what you are really committed to.
On another note, money may give you an idea of how much skin you have in the game, of how much you really want something in your life. In addition to time, I think that money is another resource that we hold in high esteem, so checking in on how you spend your money will give you a picture of what you value in your life: Is it your house? Is it traveling? Is it experiences or products? Is it in your well-being? Is it you or other people?
When you say you want something in your life, how much are you willing to invest to pursue it? Have you done it already?
Let me give you an example:
Imagine three people who want to lose weight: Person A decides to start a diet on his own and starts running every day; Person B decides to join a nutrition program that costs him $100/month and a gym that costs him $80/month; and Person C joins a 6-month nutrition program that costs $3,000 and hires a personal trainer that costs $200/month.
Which person do you think is more committed to losing weight? Who do you think is more determined?
The willingness of Person C to invest more money and pay it up front (6-month program) tells me that this person is really motivated and invested. What I’m not saying is that you need to spend money to be able to reach your goals. However, I am saying that your willingness to invest money to reach them will give you a measure of how strongly you really want to achieve them. The stronger your desire for something, the more likely it is that you’ll be able to attain it.