The Incredible Power of Committing to What You Want

An active first step is only the beginning.

10 years ago, I found myself on a professional track I knew in my heart could never yield the satisfaction I desired. I felt like I had everything I wanted professionally — at least to the outsider observer. But inside, I knew I was empty. Maybe you know the feeling.

It took time. But eventually, I was ready to do something about it.

I sat down at my dining room table and started to write a very basic list of the things I knew I wanted to do. The things I knew I wanted to be a part of my life.

It wasn’t a very complicated list. In fact, the hardest part was committing the words to paper. My list looked like this:

• Get married
• Become a father
• Write a book
• Coach basketball
• Work with people I genuinely admire
• Help people for a living

I knew it then- and 10 years later, I know now that it was one of the smartest commitments to action I’ve ever made in my life.

As wild as it may seem, I simply wasn’t on the career path I wanted. I wasn’t doing enough things that I loved. Things that stoked fire, passion and enthusiasm in my mind and soul. As I sit here 10 years later, with a wife, three children, the entrepreneurial career I always dreamed about and confidence and conviction in what I do each day, I realize commitment can change the course of any professional journey.

Spend Your Time Wisely

We spend so much time in our careers trying to make things harder than they need to be. For me, I began to run the race of others rather than running my own race. I thought I needed the luxury car… so I bought a Lexus. I lived in a luxury apartment building. Had a prestigious consulting job that paid well.

I began to take my mind off the career path I really wanted, even knowing I didn’t love what I was doing. I wasn’t satisfied. This lack of satisfaction came from a lack of planning.

It’s why today, I believe the very best personal development advice I can give anyone is this: