Commitment
Seeing it through. A personal promise. A pledge. Deciding that, come hell or highwater, you are going to do everything you can to achieve something... critics be damned.
Sometimes we see new faces at Amplify, and those new faces become regulars. Those regulars then become veterans, and right before our eyes, turn into the people that the new new faces look up to.
But sometimes we see new faces at Amplify, and those faces disappear.
Totally understandable; it just wasn't for them. Too hard, too costly, no time, no energy... whatever. They got what they needed and moved on. Or they hated every minute and did the same.
But also, in searching for results, people can lose sight of their commitment-- especially if those results don't come fast enough. We all know it's a society of the quick fix. The what's next. Fad diets... fat burning drugs... popular workout regimes offered to us over late night TV or internet pop-up ads.
There are even columns upon columns about this very topic itself: Forbes: Reaching a deeper level of commitment to health. Huffington Post: Committed to intense exercise. NY Times: Commitment to exercise relies largely on feeling.
All boasting commitment while flooding the sidebars with advertisements for get-fit-quick schemes.
But fitness isn't a quick fix. It's a lifelong journey, for crying out loud.
Now, as I preach to the choir, there is something worthwhile in all this... yes, for you, the committed.
Stay there.
Whatever drive got you there in the first place, keep that fire alive. It most likely is the pursuit of something fun but challenging, something varied but beneficial. You really don't need me writing something over the internet in vague generalities. But what you might need is the validation that you aren't alone if your commitment wanes in the process of striving for your goals. You aren't alone if you've lost focus here or there... either with valid excuses or just those run of the mill problems with motivation.
Casey Burgener, US Olympic Weightlifter, once wrote: “Once you make the commitment to do something, then almost nothing can stop you. This is why it took me so long to decide to come back to lifting. I knew once I committed, nothing was going to stop me from achieving my goals, no matter what the costs, or how much workouts sucked, or how badly my body felt."
Casey went on to Snatch 171kg (376lbs) and Clean & Jerk 200kg (440lbs), earning spots on the US Olympic Weightlifting team in 2004 and 2008.
For us at Amplify we have lots to celebrate each week. LOTS. People do things weekly they never thought they would, or more accurately, they only thought they would. They made it happen. A future of possibility came true. And most likely it happened because of commitment. But even if you don't have a good week, you don't hit the numbers you wanted, you didn't get a PR, or that feeling of "I just don't feel like it today" seeps into your thoughts: stay the course. Reevaluate the major items like sleep, stress, nutrition, and after that the program or workout progression itself. Was it you that failed to commit instead of all those items above?
In that case the final thought brings us to the two options regarding commitment: you're either in or you're out. There's no such thing as life in between.
Commit. Show up. Don't quit.
Scott, 7.1.2013