One of the first key tenants of becoming a change maker or in other words being someone who invites possibility into your life is being able to make and keep a commitment to make it happen.

Commitment is trust in yourself, plain and simple and is one of the most important things you can do to strengthen your own resolve and start building the muscle you need to stick with the process of any change long enough to get to the other side and reap the benefits.

Way too often we decide to make a change of one kind or another and find ourselves going back to the comfort of the familiar patterns we’re trying to break. Doesn’t matter what it is, a lifestyle change, relationship shift whatever, old habits die hard.

When we feel resistance to commitment it’s the first sign that fear is surfacing – and we immediately start to negotiate with ourselves to lessen the discomfort. Its human nature.  

I have an example of this happening with me right now. I am getting ready to start a program to eliminate sugar from my diet. Its pretty strict but straight forward I’ve done similar before (ha, can you tell this is one of my Achille heal!) and I know to expect the short term discomfort of detox that comes along with it.

I already found myself going into negotiation mode  - do I really need to buy all of the ingredients for this or that – can’t I just wing it on my own and step into it gradually? Now, I’m actually all for doing what works best for you in certain situations but when it comes to walking your own path versus one that is laid out before you in order for real change to happen - - you must pick the path that creates new habits. In other words, Its time to suck it up and surrender to the guidance!

Committing to the process is really committing to ourselves. Because commitment is trust and we must be able to trust ourselves to follow through. If we can’t do this, how are we going to achieve the success  we want?  We HAVE to have our own back.

You can’t shy away from the real stuff – because without going all in, you won’t achieve anything.

Resistance is the first sign of our fear of commitment and the minute it starts to surface is when we need to check ourselves and re- align with what we want to accomplish. Once we get back to what we ultimately want, we can re-adjust and get back in the game.

So, I want to go over a few obstacles that can get in the way of us making and keeping our commitments:

**Fear of Failure**: The fear of not being able to achieve the goals we’ve set - can hold you back from committing fully. This fear of failure can lead to self-doubt and hesitation – two slippery slopes when it comes to follow through. Check yourself when the fear comes up and debunk the doubt, the best away to do this is by recommitting to the outcome.

Revisiting the outcome you want will help you refocus and move forward.

 **Lack of Clarity**: Unclear or vague goals can make it difficult for you to commit. When you don't have a clear understanding of what you want to achieve or how to get there, you will inevitably struggle to stay motivated. So be clear from the start, what do you want, what does it look like and how do you want to feel once you get it.

**Overwhelm**: is a big one. Feeling overwhelmed by the enormity of the goal or the tasks required to achieve it is a big one. So break down those goals into smaller, more manageable tasks – and it will make the goals you set feel much more achievable.

**Lack of Accountability**: can also creep in. Without setting up a way to make yourself accountable, you may find it easier to give up. Having someone to hold you accountable or regularly tracking progress can help you maintain  a steady commitment.

 **Lack of Motivation**: When you don't feel inspired or motivated by your goals, the challenge can feel overwhelming – and overwhelm can bring things to a screeching halt!!  That’s when you need to go back to the ultimate outcome you want to achieve. Recommit to what you want and how you want to feel when you get it – and it will get back on track.

These are just a few of the roadblocks to staying committed to your outcome and so critical to overcome in order to be successful in executing any life change.

In Week 1 of our Change Maker Series, we delve into commitment even further as you learn how it shows up (or doesn’t show up) in your life and steps you can take to make your commitment rock solid.  

To learn more about this powerful Change Maker Series go here.