When it comes to behavioral change and healthy habits, I love commitment. Specifically, I’m a big believer in 100% commitment. When you go all in, your odds of success go way up.
However, we sometimes think of commitment as a single, final decision, especially for major decisions like getting married or quitting drugs. In reality, commitment is a series of decisions you make over and over again. It’s an ongoing process. Your initial decision is important, but you have to back it up by continuing to choose the same thing. With each choice, you recommit to your original decision.
For example, deciding to be healthy isn’t something you commit to once. It’s something you recommit to each time you choose to exercise and each time you choose what to eat – or not eat. Being a good person isn’t based on a single action or choice. It’s something you recommit to each time you’re kind or generous. I’m committed to meditating every day, but I have to recommit each morning by choosing to sit down and actually do it.
Recommitment applies to a wide variety of situations:
Fallen off a habit? Recommit.
Slipped out of your healthy routines during the holidays? Recommit.
Already given up on your New Year’s resolution? Recommit.
Stalled on a project? Recommit.
Lost focus during your meditation? Recommit.
Starting to feel lazy in the middle of your workout? Recommit.
Haven’t picked up the book you were reading in a few weeks? Recommit.
Haven’t written in your gratitude journal in a few months? Recommit.
Relapsed into an old addiction you thought you were rid of? Recommit.
Haven’t connected with an old friend in too long? Recommit.
Feeling stagnant in your romantic relationship? Recommit.
Haven’t been acting like you love yourself lately? Recommit.
Recommitment is another version of the “you’ll never get there” principle. The things in life that matter most – health, happiness, love, and morality – are not destinations you can arrive at. There’s no time when you’ll be “done.” If you stop trying to move toward those things, you’ll slip backward. You have to commit to pursuing them over the long haul, and you have to recommit each and every day.