Yes, commitment is what is called for. He never
cared whether a Monday fell on a Friday nor did
it matter to him if it was raining or dry. His
motto was, "I am exactly where I need to be at
this time. Just take it easy, it'll all work out
just fine."

I met him many years ago. Let's just call him
Tom. We were in college and he was the roommate
of a friend. But they were so different. My
friend wanted something out of life while Tom
thought that life should bring him all things.

My friend worked hard, studied late hours,
focussed on his dreams and goals and graduated
with honors. He was committed to his success.
Tom, on the other hand, wanted all the good
things in life, but didn't have direction, a
plan, a commitment to his future. No one seems to
know what became of Tom. He definitely should
have been committed.

It doesn't matter what it is that you want or are
striving for. To succeed, a high degree of
commitment is necessary. We demand it from others
but, most times, do not ask it from ourselves.
How would I like it if after paying a webmaster
my last penny to get my web site working, he
looks at me and says, "You win some, you lose
some. I'll do my best and see what happens. I'll
get it done soon. And when it's done, it will
probably work, but who knows?"

I wouldn't like to see my child lying on the
operating table and hear the surgeon say, "Well,
I'll do my best. You win some, you lose some.
What do you expect from me? I'm like everybody
else-- just trying to make a living. Maybe it'll
be successful, but who knows?"

This I know: I want my web master to be totally
committed to our agreement. I want my surgeon to
feel bad if he loses. I want him to be committed
to the well-being of my son. I want my grocer, my
airplane pilot, my friends, my everybody to be
committed to what they are doing. And how about
me? Shouldn't I be committed to my own success
and happiness? Well, sometimes that's a different
story, or at least, that's what I'd like to
think.

You see, it's almost always easier for us to see
the fault out there than to accept the
responsibility for our own actions. Many times,
it's much easier to blame others than to commit
ourselves to the path of success and happiness.

Yes, success is not easy. It calls for
commitment, for focus, for hurling yourself
toward the thing you love to do. Sometimes,
success asks for blood, sweat and tears. But
failure does not ask, it demands and takes our
blood and sweat and tears. It doesn't matter
whether we are dealing with business problems,
relationship or health issues. The same
principles apply.

Commitment does not guarantee success. All it
does is guarantee that you WILL succeed or you
WILL fail. On the other hand, a lack of
commitment loads the dice on the side of failure.
Just the other day I heard from my old college
friend. He is enjoying the fruits of success.

We talked about Tom and wondered what had become
of him. We hoped that he had found something
along the way that he could give his life and
passion to. Didn't matter what it was, a computer
expert, a teacher, car mechanic, astronaut,
farmer, whatever. We wished him well.

Whatever it is that you do, give your heart and
mind to it. Express yourself through your work,
your calling, your vocation. Doesn't matter
whether you're seeking your fortune on the
internet or pursuing success on the outernet-- a
sense of purpose and a touch of madness will
bring the world to your doorstep. I have a bit of
the former and lots of the latter. Thus far, with
all its ups and downs, with all it's joys and
sorrows, with all its failures and successes,
life's been good. It's what we make it.

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