WHAT IS COMMITMENT?
Commitment..it’s a big word and most likely evokes an emotionally driven response in all of us. There are ‘commitment phobes’, you can ‘make a commitment’ to other people or events, you can even ‘be committed’ (potentially against your will) to an institution.
So, what is commitment?
The dictionary definition is dedication and application. Synonyms for commitment are; obligation, committal, undertaking, and engagement.
We are all automatically very committed to many things in life. If we are committed to breathing, we are committed to needing food and water to stay alive, and we are committed to finding money, in whatever way possible, in order to be able to afford those life necessities that keep us alive. So commitment is part and parcel of life, but what I’m really interested in are the emotions that we each attach to the word commitment. To make a commitment can be both empowering and overwhelming at the same time. We can commit by arranging to meet up with a friend and not think about it twice, however, with a different person we can feel that even agreeing to coffee can feel like ‘too much of a commitment’. So what is it about commitment that makes us happy, sad, and most importantly with regards having fun with commitment…anxious?! Anxiety is the antithesis to fun…however I also believe that fun is the antidote to anxiety.
Does making commitments look and feel like fun make them seem more manageable and less anxious?
I have committed to many things in my life so far and have experienced some very different emotions depending on what it is that I am considering committing, or have committed to. For example, I am committed to this blog and Year of Fun. Does it always feel easy and manageable to keep my life open like this and share it, not always, but I have made the commitment to myself to do this and so I know I will see it through. The reason I know I will see this through is because I believe it is adding value.
So ‘value adding’ will be my starting point as I spend the next month of MY Velvet Evolution looking at my relationship with commitment and exploring if and how fun interacts with and can help my attitude towards commitment.
As always I would welcome your thoughts on your own relationship with commitment…what do you find easy or hard to commit to, and what strategies do you have for dealing with commitments that make you feel anxious?
Please leave your message in the comments boxes below or you can email me directly at info@yourvelvetevolution.com
Wishing you a happy, confident and committed month.
Lydia x