A CALL TO COMMITMENT
Shirley Dean

Commitment is the state of being obligated or bound by intellectual conviction, emotional ties, and spiritual union. It is a decisive moral choice that involves the whole person-body, soul, and spirit-in the definite course of action to follow the Lord. A commitment is something which has been pledged or guaranteed by covenant. Since God’s New Covenant was initiated and guaranteed by himself, our covenant commitment is to say a thorough “yes” which ratifies this good-covenant in our personal lives.

The word “commit” comes to us from the Latin committere, meaning: “to connect, entrust, to send with.” Until the time of definite commitment, we are aimless and unattached. But through commitment we are solidly tied to Christ, the rock and the covenant. We are fixed and established from the inside out. Commitment could be compared to the engaging of gears; once the connection is made, His leading will cause us to move forward. Then we become ready to make solid progress for we have taken hold.

Neither let the son of the stranger, that hath joined himself to the Lord speak, saying, The Lord hath utterly separated me from his people: neither let the eunuch say, Behold, I am a dry tree. For thus saith the Lord unto the eunuchs that keep my sabbaths, and choose the things that please me, and take hold of my covenant; Even unto them will I give in mine house and within my walls a place and a name better than of sons and of daughters: I will give them an everlasting name, that shall not be cut off. (Isa. 56:3-5)

Their children also shall be as aforetime, and their congregation shall be established before me, and I will punish all that oppress them. And their nobles shall be of themselves, and their governor
shall proceed from the midst of them; and I will cause him to draw near, and he shall approach unto me: for who is this that engaged his heart to approach unto me? saith the Lord. And ye shall be my people, and I will be your God. (Jer. 30:20-22)

THE RESULTS OF COMMITMENT

Before engaging our hearts with God we were as vulnerable to change as tumbleweed is to the winds. But commitment anchors us solidly in the Lord and produces steadfastness of character. Until a commitment has been made, we do not profit from experiences in the same way as we do once everything is related to the Lord. We may suffer, but suffering does not build character unless that basic spiritual connection is there is to give us access to God’s resources and to keep us morally bound to follow through with our choices.

The Greek uses three major words to describe this character quality of steadfastness. Each one adds a useful shade of meaning.

1. Steadfastness is an unwavering moral certainty based on ratification of God’s covenant (bebaios).

Our moral lives are stabilized because our decisions are now related to our covenant relationships with God. We have been established and other pulls are not as strong as those of the everlasting covenant. We are sure of who we are and of who God is in relation to us. For this reason we are firm in our convictions.

For men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife. (Heb. 6:16) Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein. (Heb. 13:9)

2. Steadfastness is a settling upon the solid basis of Christ (hedraios).

We are no longer running here and there looking for a fixed center around which to build our lives, because we have found it. Now we can put our weight down upon the Lord and be constant in our affections. This Greek word comes from the word for chair and speaks of both security and moral fixity. Our restlessness born of unsureness is over; we can afford to relax.

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. (I Cor. 15:58)

If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled [steadfast], and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister. (Col. 1:23)

3. Steadfastness is the crystallization of our convictions, making us firm and constant because of an inner strengthening (stereos).

We are no longer as “unstable as water” because inwardly we have been solidified. Our questions and issues have been settled and the struggle and quandary is over. We have developed a firm resistance to contrary pulls.

Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. (1 Pet. 5:9)

HOW A COMMITMENT IS MADE

An initial commitment is accomplished through our participation in conversion-initiation, for it is in laying these foundations that we commit ourselves to the lordship of Christ (Acts 2:32-47, etc.). Continuing commitment has to do with the practical management of our bodies, emotions, wills, and spirits. If He is indeed Lord we do what He wills instead of pleasing ourselves.

Paul talked about our deliberate acts of commitment in terms used for worship; we are giving Him ourselves as “living sacrifices.”

1. We present our bodies to God to make them available for His use. (Rom. 12:1)

This word “present” (paristemi) means: “to have in readiness, to provide, to place at the disposal of.” But it also has religious overtones in that we dedicate, consecrate, or devote ourselves to God
as a deliberate act of worship.

2. We offer ourselves and our service to God as an act of sacrifice. (12:1)

Sacrifice means offering to God something we value and know He values. Becoming a living sacrifice to God demands healthy self-respect to give us the confidence that He will receive us as an acceptable offering.

3. Our self-presentation to God is considered our reasonable service. (12:1)

In light of what God has done for us, what less can we do in response? We continue to serve God as intelligent worshipers as we serve one another.

A SPIRITUAL COMMITMENT CHANGES OUR EMOTIONAL LIFE

A spiritual and moral commitment gives us a basis from which to control and determine the direction of our emotions. We are no longer at the mercy of external pulls and pressures once we have established an inner center. Three major manifestations of well-anchored emotional energy can be seen in daily conduct, especially under a testing.

1. Commitment produces emotional stability.

The roller coaster kind of life is over; we can begin to count on ourselves to be predictable and dependable. We find it possible to hold steady and remain firm in situations that used to shake us. We do not find each crisis of life an occasion to question our salvation, but we are able to consider our redemption a settled business transaction. We have received an anointing to be constant both in our relationship to God and to others.

Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God. (2 Cor. 1:21) Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. (Col. 2:7)

2. Commitment enables us to stop going to extremes and settle into a balance.

Once we find ourselves fixed upon a solid foundation and currently in touch with the life of the Spirit, we no longer go from one extreme to another. Our mood swings begin to level out. We do not spend as much time on mountain peaks or in depressing valleys. More and more we count on Christ as the center of our lives and the undergirding on which to build. Our hearts are fixed in trust and in desire upon the Lord, and it takes an increasingly great blow to move us even temporarily.

He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord. His heart is established, he shall not be afraid, until he sees his desire upon his enemies. (Ps. 112:7-8)

3. Commitment so fixes us upon the center and grants us an inner sureness that we have plenty of emotional margin to be gracious and poised.

THE FUNCTION OF POISE

Poise is essentially a means of preserving our inner balance. Elaborate inner mechanisms work together to offset any pulls away from our fixed center and to deal with any threats of invasion. Poise keeps us flexible enough to adjust to constant outer change without requiring inner disruption. It enables us to roll with things as they come our way by continually restoring us to center and keeping us right side up as we are tumbled and tossed.

1. Poise maintains the freedom of our will.

We are not forced to react, but we can choose how to adapt to situations and pressures. God has given us a free will and the means for remaining free. We can take our time and make our moves with deliberation.

Nevertheless he that standeth stedfast in his heart, having no necessity, but hath power over his own will, and hath so decreed in his heart that he will keep his virgin, doeth well. ( 1 Cor. 7:3)

2. Poise prevents us from being moved away from our moorings.

We are anchored to Christ by the indwelling Spirit. The winds may blow and rains may drench us, but we are not swept off balance. We are kept in touch with our center and source. For this reason, we always have sufficient resources to cope flexibly, neither breaking nor collapsing (1 Cor. 15:58).

3. Poise allows us to decide to stay put.

We live in an age not only of mobility but of restlessness. When people run out of what to do or face a blank wall, they move to another place rather than discover God’s sufficiency in the situation.
Now that we are fixed upon Christ, we do not have to run; we can make an investment in permanence (Col. 1:23).

4. Poise keeps us established in the truth.

Both the inner work of the Spirit of truth and our interaction with fellow believers enables us to continue on the same basis of truth upon which we began. The truth within us individually is reinforced by the on-center local church which is a bulwark and mainstay of the truth.

But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground [stability] of the truth. (1 Tim. 3:15)

Poise is our inner ability to continue returning to our center in Christ. It is an adaptability which keeps us in control of our reactions. The word “poise” came into our language through the Middle
English poisen from the Latin verb pensare: “to think, weigh, ponder, consider, or deliberate.” In other words we are not forced into surface reactions or emotionally loaded words. We have an inner cushion which allows us to actively decide how we will deal with people and situations.

Nature gives us two excellent illustrations of steadfastness and poise. The first comes from the field of biology. Whether it be one cell or many, we find life maintained by homeostasis. Homeostasis is the tendency toward maintenance of a relatively stable internal environment through a series of interacting physiological processes. If imbalance occurs or something threatens to invade, this disruption releases the balancing chemistry to offset it. The need is met and the cell continues without disruption.

The second illustration in nature is seen best in the delicate mechanisms found in our inner ears which enable us to maintain our sense of equilibrium. Equilibrium originally meant to make things of equal balance. It now refers to our natural sense both of balance and of position. These elaborate mechanisms in the inner ear work closely with our sense of movement. When we are thrown off balance, our senses let us know and we are enabled to regain our equilibrium.

The Holy Spirit likewise lets us know when we get off balance in our walk with the Lord. He alerts us to our condition and leads us back to center.

1. He alerts us to doctrinal error or sidepaths. (Isa. 30:21)
2. He convicts us of moral departure. (Prov. 1:23)
3. He reveals to us our mental discrepancies from God’s truth. (Phil. 3:15)

IT TAKES COURAGE TO BE YOURSELF

We read a great deal about the “identity crisis” experienced by most as a transition during adolescence. Through the identity crisis the young person gains social independence from home and begins to discover his own goals and aspirations in life. In my opinion, most Christians also experience an “integrity crisis” through which they find themselves in Christ and opposed to the system of this world.

The integrity crisis can take place at any age. It comes about after a thoroughgoing commitment has been made to the Lord and this commitment is allowed to be tested. The test always involves some form of social pressure to conform which violates Christian conscience. We are then forced to choose whether to be true to our own commitment or whether we will compromise in order to retain social approval. Once we have committed our lives to Christ, we can be sure that sooner or later He will set up such circumstances to test us, for this is not an experience reserved for special saints but it is a normal part of Christian experience.

Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. (2 Tim. 3: 12)

Persecution may involve physical or mental punishment as it often did in the Old Testament and during the days of the martyrs, but more often it is simply the pressure of social disapproval. The cost of sticking with our commitments is often separation from close and dear friends and at times even from relatives. What God is requiring of us at such times of testing is a deliberate ordering of our priorities so as to confess Him as more important than any other relationship. This is what Jesus was talking about:

If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. (Luke 14:26-27)

Some people misinterpret this passage and become needlessly offensive toward their families. But the parable of the tower in verses 28-30 illustrates the principle of the cross as Jesus is using it here. It simply means to count the cost and decide once and for all that nothing is worth compromising our commitments to God. We will remain true to ourselves by carrying out all our vows and commitments.

COURAGE IS A MATTER OF HEART

Before going any further, let’s define “courage.” It comes from the Latin cor which means: “heart, the seat of intelligence and feeling.” Webster lists these common uses today:

1. mental or moral strength enabling one to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty firmly and resolutely.
2. confidence that encourages and sustains.
3. resolution, tenacity, firmness of spirit.
4. mettle: ingrained capacity for meeting strain or difficulty without fear and with resilience of spirit of mind.

The exact opposite of courage is “discouragement” which is the deprivation of confidence, dejection of spirit, and lack of incentive. In other words, when we lack courage we often experience emotional depression. We lose heart.

Discouragement is a mental defeat. It has to do with allowing the pressures of life to come inside and crush us. So important is this matter of courage that God spoke to the military leader Joshua first of all about how to maintain his mental morale. He was not to mull over the conditions about him. He was to be so filled with the Word of the Lord that nothing could come in and upset him. Joshua’s antidote against discouragement which inevitably comes during warfare was meditation in the Word.

This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. (Josh. 1:8)

Notice that Joshua was not commanded simply to recite the Word over and over to himself. This was to be meditation with intent to obey. It was the repeated resolve to obey the commandments that built up his courage so that he was able to be strong during times of testing. There is a teaching that has become popular in this country. It advocates saying the Scriptures over and over so they will turn into faith. But hearing is a matter of having God the Holy Spirit quicken a particular word to us for a “now” application. And faith includes the inner persuasion that we will obey the voice of the Lord. It is meditation accompanied with moral resolve that creates courageous faith.

Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest. (Josh. 1:7)

Compare this with James 1:25 and note the key to success:

But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. (James 1:25)

PURPOSE PREPARES US FOR CRISIS

When God is dealing with us about any matter of commitment and courage the best book of the Bible for examples of these matters is Daniel. Story after story concerning Daniel and the other three Hebrew captives who found favor in the Babylonian court show us how to stand true under all kinds of social pressure. We are all familiar with the incident of the three Hebrew children who chose to be cast into the fiery furnace rather than to bow down before an idol. We also know well the way Daniel continued to pray in spite of being threatened with the lion’s den. Both of these stories illustrate courage in action and God’s vindication of those who demonstrated integrity.

A less familiar story is found in the first chapter of Daniel. Here we are permitted to look behind the scenes into the moral preparation of these godly statesmen. Before God exposed them to a crisis, He had thoroughly prepared them in the areas of commitment and moral integrity.

Soon after these young men were brought to Babylon as choice among the Hebrew captives, they were given favor in the kings palace. But with this opportunity came additional temptation. Early in their political careers they had to decide whether or not to adopt the life style of the Babylonians. Since the Babylonian culture was built around a whole system of idolatry the Hebrew boys had to refuse what would otherwise have been a privilege. They were offered portions from the king’s own food. The king thought they should be fed the “best” and in this way prepared to serve. The best, unfortunately, was food offered to idols and the belief was that those who ate of such food received supernatural gifts from the idol. The Hebrew youths knew that God must have all the glory for what He enabled them to do. They must abstain from even the appearance of evil.

Their decision put the head jailer’s life in jeopardy. What if their appearance did not come up to standard? Would it be discovered that they were not eating their portion? Would he not be blamed? But they had gained favor with him and he listened to their request. After ten days it was observable that counting upon God rather than upon partaking of idols was superior. Through reading this story (all of chapter one) we see the making of these men who did not bend or break under pressure. As it states in verse 8, Daniel “purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself.” This is the attitude of moral resolve that prepares us ahead of time for any crisis God allows to be in our path.

THE NUMBER ONE ENEMY IS SELF-PITY

We have been told and shown in Scripture what kind of mental preparation builds courage and what kind of thoughts destroy it. The direct opposite of moral resolve is self-pity. Self-pity puts one’s
personal convenience and comfort first. Self-pity flinches with fear with every threat to personal advantage. Self-pity is in essence a form of negative meditation. It is mulling over dark feelings and dire expectations. Just as moral resolve girds up the mind to face life, self-pity tears down moral strength and leaves us prey to fear.

Self-pity is something we inflict upon ourselves. We feel like we are helpless victims of circumstances–as if life “happens to us.” But in reality, we decide what thoughts to entertain and we invite moods of depression and hopelessness. When we indulge in this habit of feeling sorry for ourselves we find ourselves unprepared to cope in a crisis. We are already in a puddle of depression.

God does not pamper this harmful attitude of self-pity. He loves us too much to allow us to play with self-destruction. When we indulge in self-pity, He may deliberately interrupt our thoughts by sending a real problem our way. Our fathers used to warn us that if we didn’t stop crying, they would give us something to cry about. Our heavenly Father does exactly that. He sends us an overwhelming circumstance in which to learn how to overcome. This will stop us from complaining and feeling sorry for ourselves during the normal pressures of life.

It is possible to be a great man of God and to achieve tremendous success and still allow oneself to lapse into self-pity. We found this in the life of the prophet Elijah (I Kings, chapters 17-19). And his experience is not unusual. His self-pity came in like a flood immediately after an unprecedented victory. He was exhausted and let down his moral resolve. During this time of tiredness, he allowed his emotions to tell him what was so rather than staying his mind upon the Word of the Lord. His thoughts led him down to the point of contemplating suicide.

Now we see what God does in chastening us when we fail to discipline our own emotions. God gave Elijah a new assignment which was in some ways harder than the one which had exhausted him. But by forcing him to face a situation which was more than he could handle, Elijah was again forced to draw upon God’s resources. He had to get out of himself. He had to leave his cave and all of his morbid thoughts and journey hard and long for the Lord. Also he was told the facts. He was not alone. God had 7,000 more of his caliber. Indeed, he was not indispensable to God. He could be replaced if he really wanted to die. This confrontation with reality snapped the self-pity and Elijah received fresh strength and courage from the Lord.

Someone has said the devil’s favorite device against Christians is discouragement. Someone else has said the devil uses the Christian’s idleness as his entrance. Life bears out the fact that we most often become depressed when we have a lot of time to think about ourselves. Some of the foremost psychologists of our day prescribe for depression extremely busy scheduling and jogging. The secret seems to be a combination of keeping physically active and emotionally outgoing.

Let’s come back to our original thought: moral resolve is the best preparation for crisis. This is true even in the mental realm. If we settle it in our hearts that life is a battle and that we will only
win if we endure its hard knocks, we will be prepared for them. We will find that we have resources in God to handle them when they confront us. But if we expect unrealistic ease and look for comfort, we will be continually thrown by life’s demands. It is a war that is settled in our minds.

Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. (II Tim. 2:3)

TOTAL COMMITMENT IS THE FIRST STEP TO GREATNESS

In every person’s life, there are many important moments. But in your business life, there’s one moment that stands out from all the others. It’s the moment that you take the first step to greatness, when you change from someone with a job to someone with a purpose. I’m referring to the moment that you decide to make a total commitment to your goals.

You can’t ever be truly successful until you make a total commitment.

People have difficulty making a commitment to anything. They spend their whole lives going from one thing to another, looking for a quick and easy way to success, or else they just settle for something less than their dreams. Many people make a half-hearted commitment to something, and tell themselves they are making a total commitment. Then they see something better somewhere else; the grass looks greener in a new business or job. They commit for a little while to something new. Then they get tired of that business, too, and they’re off again to something else.

Now, I don’t believe that you have just one chance to do something great in your life, but I don’t believe that you get an unlimited number of chances, either. Sometime in your life, you’ve got to stop running. You’ve got to say, “Now, this is it. This is a good opportunity and I’m going to take it all the way. This time, I’m going to stand and fight until I win.”

When you finally make that total commitment, nothing in your life will be the same. Maybe for the first time, you’ll have a real direction in your life, a purpose for getting up in the morning and working hard every day. When you see everything you do as one more step toward reaching the goals you’ve committed to, no task seems too big or too small.

TOTAL COMMITMENT HELPS DEVELOP MENTAL TOUGHNESS.

One of the best benefits of total commitment is that it helps you to develop the mental toughness you need to withstand the pressures that build up in any area of work. When you’ve made the decision to make your business or organization work, no matter how hard you have to work, no matter what comes up, you eliminate the possibility of quitting. It’s amazing how you learn to take problems and turn them into opportunities to improve your business and yourself instead of using them as excuses for your failure. And, it’s amazing how you learn to rise to the occasion and find solutions to problems when you’ve committed to win “no matter what.”

Successful people do what it takes, and a little bit more.

As I talk to salespeople across the country, I’m often asked what I think makes the difference between being good at what you do and being great. I’ve had plenty of chances to observe successful people at all levels, and I’ve got a theory about that. Our company has two sales managers in the Midwest who, on the surface, look the same – same age, same sex, same city, same position, etc. One is good at what he does and makes $50,000 a year. The other is also good at what he does and makes $500,000 a year.

What’s the difference between them? I believe it’s the “little bit more” principle. The guy who makes $500,000 works hard…and a little bit more. He knows how to build successful people in his
organization…and a little bit more. He goes out there and produces every day…and a little bit more. He’s got a will to win…and a little bit more.

The person who really wins big, financially and in terms of success and recognition, always does everything that’s required of him, everything it takes to win, and then he goes on and does just a little bit more than what’s required.

I believe that total commitment is the secret behind that ability. When you’re totally committed to what you’re doing, you’ve got that extra “plus” that it takes to keep going when you get tired and want to stop.

There’s a leader in our company that I like to talk about because he exemplifies the “little bit more” principle. He’s an incredible executive, admired for his outstanding ability by everyone in the
company. He’s broken all the company records over and over, and even set the amazing record of earning over $100,000 in one month!

Now, this guy is financially independent many times over. He’s in his early 40s, and he’s done so well that there’s no real reason for him to work. But he does work. He has a huge sales organization with offices all across the country. He works hard all day at his business, and that should be enough. But that’s not all he does. Every few nights, after his regular work day is over, he picks up the telephone, tired from an already full day, and begins to call his people across the country, checking on their progress, encouraging them, Just “touching base” or helping them with a problem. A few hours later, long after everyone else has left the office, he goes home.

This guy does all he’s supposed to…and a little bit more. That’s part of the secret of his success. For him, it’s become a way of life, and it’s served him well in his career. That willingness to keep going for a few hours after most of the business world has “called it a day,” has meant the difference between a good, solid career and overwhelming success.

It’s not easy to go back to work when the rest of the world is going home to watch TV. That’s where total commitment comes in. Only if you have that commitment, and the mental toughness that grows from it, can you keep up the determination and endurance that it takes to win.

BEFORE YOU CAN BE TOTALLY COMMITTED, YOU’VE GO TO LOVE AND BELIEVE IN WHAT YOU ARE DOING.

Trying to improve yourself, helping your people and dealing with competition takes energy and drive. The path to success is spelled W-0-R-K. I believe you’ll never be able to put in the long hours and face the tough challenges if you don’t love what you do. Few people have ever succeeded in an area that they had no interest in. Behind all the great success stories of American business is a strong belief  in the worth of the task, and a plain old love of the job.

When I was teaching and coaching football in south Georgia, there was an English teacher that I ate lunch with sometimes. Whenever I saw her, she was always upset about how badly her students were doing in English. “Art, I can’t get them to pay attention at all,” she’d say. “They don’t do their homework, they won’t listen in class, they don’t even make the slightest effort. I just don’t know what’s wrong with these kids! I can’t understand why they hate English so much!”

One day I got to thinking about her problem and the difference in the way the kids acted in English and on the football field. The kids she was talking about were many of the same kids who voluntarily came out to football practice every afternoon and sweated and rolled around in the dirt and just killed themselves. Nobody was making them do it, and they weren’t even getting any school credit for it! They made a tremendous effort every day, and they had a great attitude.

I began to wonder if part of my friend’s problem could be that she didn’t love what she was doing as much as she should. Maybe she wasn’t communicating the excitement and enthusiasm of someone who thinks English is the greatest thing in the world. I wondered what would happen if she jumped up in her chair or threw an eraser up in the air when she got fired up about something in a short story or a play, like we did in football practice when something went well. By being so formal with her class and not showing them how much she loved English, maybe she had failed to convince them that English was fun and exciting, and that they could love it, too.

I believe that there’s no substitute for loving what you do. It’s the ingredient around which your entire commitment is based. When great athletes are asked about all the time and effort they’ve put into their sport over the years, they’re likely to talk about love of their sport. Baseball great Mickey Mantle was one such athlete. “To play ball was all I lived for. I used to like to play so much that I loved to take infield practice. Hitting — I could do all day. I couldn’t wait to go to the ballpark. I hated it when we got rained out.”

The important point here is that there’s more to commitment than how much money you think you can make or how fast you think you can succeed. Those things are important, of course, but those things alone rarely provide the motivation that it takes to weather the bad times and to keep going after it day after day after day. Love and pride in what you do adds a new dimension to your commitment. And, it’s been my experience that when people love what they do, success comes more easily, and more naturally, than it would ever have come if they were slugging away at something they really hated.

Total commitment is something you must help build and encourage in your people, too. You can’t make people love their job, but you can show them the positive things they are doing, and involve them in such a way that they feel a part of the overall operation.

As a leader, your personal commitment is passed on to your people. When you become totally committed to your business or organization, you won’t have to announce it to your people; they will be able to tell. Nothing excites people more than being around someone who has a purpose and a goal. When it comes to leading by example, you can’t do anything more important than set an example of total commitment to your work. Follow-the-leader is more than just a game. It’s a reality in the business world, where people look to their manager to find a pattern for their own business lives.

Everybody wants to follow a man or woman who’s committed to what they do. Every election year, unpaid volunteers spend countless hours working for candidates simply because they want to be a part of an organization led by a committed person. They’re attracted by someone who seems to know where he’s going and is totally devoted to his goals.

Committed people attract other people like magnets. When they walk into a room, it just seems to light up. Your people in business want to feel that same kind of excitement and dedication; but they must see it in you first. Be an example of total commitment, and you won’t have to go looking for committed people to bring into your business. They’ll come to you.