Do You Believe in Your Dream?

To start the new year off on the right foot, I attended a presentation about setting intentions and committing to them. Around the halfway point, when he had walked us through a couple of exercises, the speaker asked us to say aloud, “I am committed to my goals.” Throats opened and the room rang with loud, happy voices. Then he asked us to say, “I believe in my ability to achieve my goals.”

Totally different story. The response was more of a group mumble as people said words about themselves that they didn’t believe. The speaker then mentioned the late MLK Jr., asking us if social change would have happened had his level of commitment in the “I Have a Dream” speech been the same as what we just demonstrated.

The point was made – in order to lead and effect change, in order to achieve our own personal goals, and in order to be believed when we speak, we need to embody commitment. It can be tough to believe in ourselves – we’ve spent a lifetime looking for external validation, so making a bold declaration about ourselves isn’t exactly default behavior.

One of the ways to learn to value your ability to follow through is to look at the times you’ve done it in the past. The brain’s negativity bias isn’t as likely to serve up examples of you rocking it as it is to remind you of the times you quit or failed. Thinking your way into commitment isn’t easy, and it can be done. Here are three episodes of the world’s second-shortest podcast (90 seconds or less per episode) with ideas that can help you stay the course, or help someone else:

Been meaning to make a commitment to lifelong learning? Here’s a Tiny Bite for that!

Want to understand why it can be tough to break old habits or begin new ones? Here’s a Tiny Bite for that!

Do you want to help someone else commit to self-improvement? Here’s a Tiny Bite for that!

If you made New Year’s resolutions this year and you’ve found them tough to live up to, now you know why. It can be extremely difficult to convince your brain you really mean it this time. Make a list of your commitment successes and keep it in front of you to remind yourself that you can commit, and you can succeed. You don’t have to stand on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial – in front of the bathroom mirror each morning will work. Declare your intentions and then go get ‘em!

Wags,
Sandy Weaver
Program Director, Center for Workplace Happiness

PS...know someone planning a conference, retreat, or training day? Please share my contact info with them...thanks!