Come Hell or High Water

Last week I listened to a presentation on commitment.  The speaker had just come back from a family trip to Sedona, AZ where they hiked Devil’s Bridge.  Turns out, it’s an aptly named trail as their trek sounded hellacious.  Imagine a seemingly endless ascent in desert temps of 100+ degrees, with 3 young children in tow.  They’d done their research, read rave reviews, and been told by multiple sources that it was an amazing hike and they’d have a great time.  This wasn’t the case - at least not in the moment - but they made it to the top anyway.

Hearing this got me thinking about commitment; the ones we keep and the ones we don’t.  I know I’m not alone in having exited more than one commitment because it didn’t make me happy.  Unhappiness alone, however, doesn’t tell the whole story.  For example, I’ve been a treadmill runner most of my life…and I don’t like running.  Still, short of being sick, I rarely miss a day.  Good run, bad run, it doesn’t matter.  I value health, hard work, discipline, time to myself, and accomplishment, and I meet all of those goals in one run.  Similarly, despite Devil’s Bridge ranking high on the torture meter, the guy who shared his hiking story values time with his family, nature, adventure, laughter, and perseverance.  Point is, whatever the equivalent of Devil’s Bridge or running is in your life, the task we commit ourselves to is more than just the task itself - it holds information about what’s important to us, who we are, and who we’re working to become.  That’s serious business!  Take your time.  Choosing what you commit to is just as important as choosing what you don’t.   

“Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw
back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, the providence moves too. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his way. Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it.
Boldness has genius, power and magic in it!” 
(Goethe)