Achieving Career Success Commitment vs. Goals

What are you committed to?

• Do you find yourself struggling to meet your goals?
• Do you set goals for yourself and find yourself challenged to meet them?
• Is your trash littered with to-do lists that never got completed?

People often feel they must have goals, expectations, and to-do lists. All of that is fine if it gets you results.

Often you feel like achieving career success is like you’re pushing against the natural inclination to stay rooted to your chair. It’s a struggle.

But what if you were committed to an action or outcome? There’s a huge difference between a goal and a commitment. A goal is an outcome of your action; the commitment is the inner drive that sets the goal to begin with.

You know how some people get all hot under the collar when talking about their political choice? That’s the passion that can be aroused when you are committed to do something.

Start by asking yourself “What are you committed to?” Asking forces you to take a look beyond the shoulds and to-do lists.

In fact, clarifying your commitment ought to be done BEFORE you set your goals. Sometimes that will change your goals entirely.

Here’s an example: What if your goal was to raise your profile in your industry? You might be stymied immediately at how to do this. Ergo, inertia.

However, if you ask yourself why raising your profile is important to you — i.e. to meet decision makers, or get a position with more responsibility, this would provide the motivation (the commitment) to really getting you off that chair.

See the difference?

So next time you decide you need to set goals for achieving career success, take the time to dig down and see what’s really going on, and let that energy clarify and drive you.

“Take Action” Exercise

Take a look at your daily habits. The small constructive actions you take on a routine basis can quickly give you a sense of what you are most committed to. These daily habits can form the foundation for major changes in your life. Examples: make two networking calls, walk twenty minutes a day (during which you could do your best thinking), etc.

List ten daily habits that will provide you forward momentum and help you honor your commitments!