Confess the Yes

Commitment is hard. I don’t know anyone that says it’s easy. But if you think it is, make your way over here and teach me thy ways. Because as driven and as motivated as I am [most of the time] I still have a hard time with the permanency of promise. Not because I won’t do it. Or that I can’t do it. But because it usually means achieving a standard that is sometimes well above my limits.

I was recently reminded what commitment should be about. It should involve change. Faith. Response. And devotion. Most of those shed light to a form of passion and allegiance. Not fear, reluctance or neglect. But somehow even though we all say “we should do ___” we walk away without really ever doing it. ALL. THE. TIME. Why? Because the flow of conversation always lends itself to the promise of plans but then who wants to step forward to carry it out? Rarely any of us. That kind of initiative takes work. Time. COMMITMENT.

No matter what anyone else tells you, saying yes is different from committing. They are not one in the same. Saying yes is easy. We can do that at the drop of a hat. But the follow through is where we falter. Where I falter. Because I say yes to a lot of things. (Often times, far too many). And for the most part, I see those acknowledgements through. But I don’t always commit. Say what, now?? [Hence, the clarification]. I have a better understanding that commitment is about driving change. Being faithful. Responding well. And devoting yourself to something or someone. I can say yes and execute what it is that I said yes to. But I don’t always do it in good faith. I don’t always respond positively. I don’t always drive change with my efforts. And I definitely don’t always feel like I’m devoting myself even though I should be. These are standards that I know I should do better with…can do better with. But sometimes they’re above my limits. My exhausted limits. My attitude limits. My emotional limits. My people limits. However, when I stop to look back at the experiences where I know I met those standards in gold they have always been the moments that gifted me more fulfillment when all was said and done. Because that’s what happens when you put yourself into something with greater fervor.

I confess. I’m not very good at protecting my yes’s. Or giving more as often as I should. My daily grind is a fairly fluid routine and I get into a habit of just going with the flow. So my level of commitment tends to get sacrificed. I’m not perfect. But I am passionate. And I hope I can offer more of that to the people, places and things that deserve it. Because when you give more, you get more. And that’s how I know it’s better to commit than to simply say yes.