Commitment is an often used word that holds diverse meanings. Despite multiple meanings, commitment is a special force that will transition a simple premise into a firm reality. As James Womack said, “Commitment unlocks the doors of imagination, allows vision, and gives us the ‘right stuff’ to turn our dreams into reality.”

People who are committed to an effort want the outcome to be successful. They are driven to reach that conclusion. There is no place in their effort for any appearance of apathy or negative insight. Anything and everything that is not positively focused on success is set aside or blocked from their mindset. In maintaining this focus and commitment, they in turn propel endorphins to supplement and enhance their energy. This helps them most often to crash through indifference and rejection. Thus, they are better aligned to grasp the successful outcome of their pursuit.

It was once said that success doesn’t come. You must go after it. If you take time to explore the foundation of every business, corporation, educational institution or religious body, you will find that the success of those entities came as a result of an individual or individuals exerting sole or collective focus so that the specific entity could flourish. It demanded commitment from each. It demanded that each knew what they were committed to, and then, each exerting their best despite the conditions at all times.

There is a well-known story about a small tenth grader in New Jersey who was warmly called, “Ugy.” Ugy was a self-proclaimed non-athlete. He was very shy, overly self-conscious, and had very little if any confidence. One day while viewing a high school track team practice, the coach asked if he would like to give it a try. He did so in a joking matter. Asking him what he might want to do, Ugy choose the javelin. As others watched and laughed in the background, they soon were amazed as Ugy gripped and let the javelin fly through the air. He, with that simple attempt, set a record. 

Day after day he practiced his throws, and by the time he graduated high school, Ugy had set a national high school record at that time for distance. His efforts gained him a track scholarship to California. He was even pegged for the Olympics, but a torn shoulder muscle halted his effort and his javelin throwing career.

Though denied the one thing he believed would carry him forward, Ugy began to explore other options. While helping a friend rehearse for a part in a play, he caught the dramatic bug and enrolled in an acting school with the same high level of commitment that led him to his track fame.

Soon Ugy became a television superstar with many famous roles. His commitment to success led this young man to greatness far beyond his earliest dreams. This shy, self-conscious young man performed virtually flawlessly his entire career, and his commitment permanently impressed his many legions of loyal fans. Yes, Ugy, better known as Michael Landon, star of Bonanza, Little House on the Prairie, and Highway to Heaven to name a few, certainly proved that when one is committed to an effort, great things can and usually do happen.

Many people simply dream themselves through life. They fail to take the initiative that is demanded to reach the ultimate conclusion of their dreams. Commitment is nothing short of a life-long adventure in giving everything you have to the effort each day. That persistence is what separates winners from whiners. As legendary coach Vince Lombardi once said, “There is only one way to succeed in anything, and that is to give it everything. I do, and I demand that my players do. Any man’s finest hour is when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle…victorious.” When you are truly committed to something, there is no room for excuses. You simply seek results.