500 Re-Commitments
Make The Change One Commitment At A Time
Every once in a while a client will get really frustrated and exclaim "I've failed!" My first response is usually "Congratulations!" I say that because failure is one of the key ingredients to real learning. We eliminate what doesn't work. We hone and better ourselves.
Secondly, I follow up with a reminder: "Use one of those Re-Commitment cards I gave you." We both laugh.
Thomas Edison: "I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work."
Somehow we have come to believe we are infallible machines. How could we possibly mess up? Edison spent countless hours through trial-and-error experiments to get the filament and voltage regulation just right. The basketball player who initially failed to make his high school varsity team went on to become one of the NBA's greatest athletes. The single welfare mother who followed her inner guidance to write has since sold 500 million+ books.
Years ago on assignment for Guitar World magazine, I spent days photographing guitarists celebrating Stevie Ray Vaughan. I watched Eric Clapton rehearse — and keep messing up the song. As tension built, I turned to Jimmie Vaughan with a look of disbelief. Jimmie leaned over and whispered: "Just you wait. Eric will go back to his hotel room tonight and practice that song over and over." The next day, Clapton plugged in and tore the roof off.
What did Clapton do? He Re-Committed. Establishing a new mindset or habit is a process. Stop beating yourself up when you go off course. Make this your light bulb moment, just like Edison. How will you use your 500 Re-Commitment cards?