Forcing action by making a commitment – propel yourself out of your comfort zone

If you sit on your dreams without actually really doing things to make them happen in the real world then you’re playing a lottery. Maybe you’ll get real lucky, maybe not.

 

It’s all well and good having extravagant plans but the fact is that in order for those plans to be carried out you must take action. Sometimes big plans can seem daunting and it can take a lot of courage to make those changes and put yourself in situations you are unfamiliar with.

 

One great way of making sure that you’re not getting caught with your head in the clouds is to make a commitment which locks you in to action.

 

A relatively famous spiritual leader talks about many years ago when learning meditation he signed himself into a retreat in India. The conditioning they put him through he would have never been able to force onto himself on his own, but because he had committed to the retreat he could only move forward and not back.

 

You do not need to commit in quite such a way, but the example demonstrates the point.

 

Do you have a goal to make some new friends? Get on the internet right now, and sign up for a weekly society or class in a field you have a fresh interest in. If the local class you find doesn’t have a booking form then drop the organiser an e-mail and say that you’re interested and new and would like to come to the next session if that’s ok.

 

Just the act of making that commitment can be enough to propel you to actual take action and force courage.

 

When I was thinking of taking up martial arts I remember reading at the bottom of the dojo website which I ended up joining… “now it’s time to practice the hardest move in karate – getting off your seat and turning up.” There’s wisdom in those words.

 

The first class did take some effort to go to. Even though I am a confident person, it still takes a little courage to try new things in foreign environments. But I had committed to going by talking to a friend about it and setting a day when we would both go try it out.

 

A few years ago I went travelling abroad alone for the first time. Booking the flight ticket online was a hell of a lot easier than stepping on the plane… but the fact that I had booked the ticket was enough to lock me into action – I was committed, it was going to happen.

 

What plans do you have which are not yet moving forward? Think of a way you could commit yourself to taking action on them in the next week and do it.

 

One word of caution with this... if your plan actually involves a real danger or risk then you should ensure that you're aware of that risk before pushing yourself into it.