Commitment

Today I feel like discussing commitment. Commitment is a learned skill. In my experience it is a hereditary trait. Commitment is a simple concept. Commitment is a simple pledge that allows trust to be given to you that without the commitment would not exist.

A commitment can be to a job, a bank, a friend, a family, God, a club, or a team. The commitments we follow define the amount of trust we earn. If a commitment to a bank is broken, no other bank will trust you enough to offer you loans. A commitment to a friend that is broken results is no friends. A commitment to a family that is broken results in a lost of trust.

Much like many disorders, the ability to follow commitments are passed through a family. Kids learn and are taught to follow or break commitments by their parents. A child has no way of understanding a commitment until they are taught to honor commitments they make.

While we live in reality TV world that pretends to believe that an individual is all that matters, this could not be farther from the truth. At some point in a person's life they will need to call upon others for help. At that point, they will realize that a commitment to help is only offered by most if trust is established. They will realize that the commitments they have honored will provide them with opportunities and those that were broken will provide them with nothing.

While a commitment to a team for a child is not a life threatening commitment, it can be life changing. Those kids that are allowed to break a commitment because of personal conflict never understand what a commitment means. This child is taught to hold themselves higher than others. This is a disability that will negatively effect their relationships, their jobs, their families, and their friendships.

While some commitments have to be broken due to circumstances we can not control, most can be avoided. While I have worked with thousands of young people and their families, I have seen the outcome of broken commitments.

I urge you to honor commitments and teach your children to do so as well. In the end, trust is the only true measure of success and the only value that you can trade for successful relationships. The only way to gain trust is to honor commitments.