Thursday, August 20, 2009

Commitment is the KEY


Hmmm, COMMITMENT, seems like a good topic to talk about today as I am feeling a bit sore due to my level commitment to My "365" program. Let me explain.

Yesterday I had one of those days where my "The 365" program was being challenged to the limit. I was flying by the seat of my pants trying to get finished all the work I needed to do on a new television "Teaser Pilot" that my co-producer and myself are currently shooting called "My Model Wife". I am leaving to pitch this show to various networks in Toronto at the end of the week and it needs to get done. It was one of those days where you start at 6am and never seem to finish. This is probably due to the fact that since I am creating the show straight "out of my head" I am never able to stop the creative juices flowing once I get going on a day like that.

For the last month or so my 'The 365" program has been going strong and I am definitely in the "UP" phase right now; meaning things are smooth, the challenge and commitments are seeming to come to me "with ease" and it has become part of my life. It has also been a very exciting last couple of weeks with me starting this blog, talking to more and more people about "The 365" and actually having a few friends on board starting their own "The 365" programs (WAY TO GO YOU GUYS). It has been a good "flow" concerning all things "The 365".

Well let me tell you, yesterday shook me to my core once again with the COMMITMENT side of "The 365".

On my plate were these things,
-Finish shooting the pilot with all the cast and crew
-work on the editing sequences and lay out the "beats" of the pilot and pass on to the editor
-confirm all travel and logistics for Toronto trip
-get the kids Xbox tracked down and make sure it hasn't been lost
-Spend time with my wife working on our relationship (I screwed up and needed to resolve some stuff with her)
-Get my brand new Scotty Cameron Putter back from the guy fixing it and make sure it worked ( I have my golf course's Club Championship this weekend and without the putter I am sunk)
-Respond to all the emails built up in the day as I have been shooting and haven't returned any
-Eat before 8:30pm
-Workout

All of us have busy lives and for some of you this day might seem easy or hard depending on your schedule and habits. For me it is a full day as well as a mentally draining one because of the passion involved with every step of the day for me. I love creating, I love my family and I love golf....three of my favorite things in one day and each one fires me up in a different way and also brings out an intensity in me. Lets get back to the commitment piece.

'The 365" at its core is about commitment. Websters defines commitment as follows:
  • Main Entry: com·mit·ment
  • Pronunciation: \kə-ˈmit-mənt\
  • Function: noun
  • Date: 1603

1 a : an act of committing to a charge or trust: as (1) : a consignment to a penal or mental institution (2) : an act of referring a matter to a legislative committee b : mittimus
2 a : an agreement or pledge to do something in the future; especially : an engagement to assume a financial obligation at a future date b : something pledged c : the state or an instance of being obligated or emotionally impelled commitment to a cause>

Committing to your own personal "The 365" and the effect it creates for our lives is profound. Last night when I got home from the shoot I needed to resolve things with my wife, connect with my kids, do all the computer work I needed to do, eat and workout. I was dead tired. Done, Kaput, ready for the couch and the remote control. No way did I want to "Get into" a discussion with Kathy. No way did I want to whip up a healthy meal. Forget about working out as it would be 9:30 before I even started my warm up. Here comes "commitment" coming at me like a freight train.

I was finishing my last email and I started to think about my "365". I am committed to my "The 365" plan. I have honored it for 231 days in a row and to let that slide because I am a little tired...HA.. NEVER... I thought. So I committed to having a conversation with Kathy and we had a great talk. I made a quick healthy meal that I finished eating at 8:22pm thanks to the leftover burgers Kathy had made for the boys. I did start my work out at 9:30pm but since I am doing CrossFit I choose a workout that was only 12-15min long and off I went. When I finished the workout (see bottom of this blog for the new feature CrossFit WOD of the day) I felt fantastic. I proud of myself for honoring my commitment to my "365" . I felt that I could now put my head on the pillow and sleep with ease knowing I got through another day. I did stay committed to myself and my program.

I don't want this to sound trivial but this is the essence of "The 365". It is these daily battles that we fight to keep our lives aligned with our visions, goals, dreams and commitments. It doesn't take much to keep us focused. I look back at yesterday and think about how easy it would have been to not honor my "365". Sitting here now though I am filled with pride and a deeper dedication to my "365" and myself because of the COMMITMENT I showed.

THOUGHT and ACTION: When faced with a challenging moment or situation where your own "The 365" might be tested or called into question. STOP and take away the emotional connection. Look at the challenge with focused eyes. See it for what it is rather than what it appears to be. Break it down to a level that you can understand and then react appropriately. Make sure you look at the challenges in your life as opportunities and not as blockages. Challenges allow us to see things in a new light and always provide us with opportunities to grow.

1 comment:

  1. Bish,
    How do you determine what 4 commitments you should make to 365? I'm having trouble establishing what they should be.
    G$

    ReplyDelete