What Are Competing Commitments?

"Until we deal with our "head trash" nothing is going to change."

--Jan McDonald

Can you believe it's almost September? What happened to this year? It's the last quarter of 2021 and how are we doing with our goal achievement? I've been reflecting on the progress that I'm making toward my goals. I'm closer to achieving them, but it's about those competing commitments.  I'm not talking about things that cause setbacks that I can't control.  Let me explain. 

There’s reasons why we don't get our goals accomplished or make the progress we want. What normally happens is we define these things as reasons, the truth is they’re excuses. (Ouch!) Excuses are competing commitments. Let me give you an example.

I  looked back on my year and made excuses that I was really busy, or I needed to spend time with my husband, or I didn't know how to move forward....blah, blah, blah. When I really thought about it--all of those things were excuses--or competing commitments. 

Maybe we really want or need to lose some weight, but tomorrow our friend is having a backyard barbeque. We can't start until after that, so we're going to eat ice cream tonight. Besides, think of all the great food we would  miss tomorrow.  Those outside excuses compete with our inner desired commitments. Some of those excuses are just head trash. We choose to let outside circumstances and conditions derail us. 
 

Choice happens in our minds. 

For sure, there will always be competing commitments. Some of them will be the same excuses we've had in the past.  At least that's what I found in my reflection time.  Some of the things that are going to stop us from progressing toward our goals are predictable.  We know in advance that  there's going to be more pot lucks and barbeques. We know in advance that we're going to have days that are extremely busy.  Our car battery may die. Then, of course, there's football. Yes, I'm finishing  email this during half-time. 

I know that it's easy for me to tell myself that I can do anything tomorrow if I am not up against a deadline. Most of the time, I'm pretty focused, but honestly, I can choose more fun things to do than work sometimes. 

 What are we going to do when these competing commitments arise?

We can't make the decision to lose weight at the barbeque standing in front of the table of brownies, potato salad and chips. We can't make the decision to go to the gym at 5:00 in the morning when it's cold and raining. Let's decide in advance what we're going to do when competing commitments arise. 

When we begin to be driven by inner commitments and desires, rather than by outside circumstances and conditions, life will change. We'll progress forward toward the goals to which we have committed.  We have to remove the head trash; those defeating thoughts that keep us from our desired lives.  We have to come up with a "move forward at any cost" contingency plan when we're faced with a circumstance that competes with our desires and goals.

One of my contingency plans that came out of my reflection time is to focus on my desired life rather than instant gratification. I kick my head trash to the curb and picture in my mind who I will become or what I will achieve by doing the thing that is my inner commitment. It's a great plan that works for me. Yes, it takes mental discipline, but that's a topic for another email. 

How are you going to win when an competing commitment threatens to derail your goals? 

Winning (okay, most of the time,)

Jan

Jan McDonald
The John Maxwell Team