Commit

Commit: {verb} to place in a prison or mental institution; to consign or record for preservation; to carry into action deliberately.

There are words in the English language that I find fascinating. Either in the definition or how the word rolls off my tongue.

Like commit. Say it. Isn't it a strange word? It seems like there should be more to it but abruptly it stops. Almost as if it's missing a piece. Or at least a syllable.

And to be committed, well that is many definitions now isn't it? I can be committed to a cause, a person, a choice. I can be committed to the looney bin. I can commit an offense. I can commit something to memory.

I've been thinking about commitment lately and how I am showing it in my life. At work, I am a commitment machine. Put it on my to-do list and I roll through that sucker like a steamroller.

At home however is a different story. I want to commit to be healthy. I want to commit to minimize the stuff in my life. I want to commit to be a better friend. And more often than not, I fail miserably.

I tried to brush it off as lack of willpower until someone I respect pointed out that when I say willpower, I'm moralizing the issue. What's wrong with being moral I asked. Nothing is wrong with morals, he said, but to moralize your decisions asks you to judge them as good and bad. When you make a decision, make it because you want to do it, not because you see it as how you should be or shouldn't be.

So that's what I'm doing. Starting now, I'm going to work toward making commitments because it's what I want and because it's what's right for me.

Here are a few I'm starting with this week. (And I'll be reminding myself that I'm not perfect and can't get this right at first. It's one decision at a time. One moment at a time.)

I commit to eat foods that are good for me. Whole foods, not processed. Foods that make me and my stomach feel good.

I commit to work out every day. Either 30 minutes of walking, a personal training session or a spin class. I will move during the day. And not just from my front door to my bed.

I commit to thinking before acting. Do I need this purchase? Do I need to say those words?

I commit to show myself grace when I'm not as successful as I want to be at all of the above.

So I'm putting this out in the universe so you can hold me accountable and perhaps, maybe, you can find your own commitment to add to this list.