I was at my trainer’s office the other day and saw the essay (posted below) hanging above his desk.

I find it is very relevant and inspirational to folks who are making a change in their lives, particularly those going through a career transition.

I’ve met with job seekers who are often frustrated, scared, fed up and aggravated in their job search.  It’s very normal to feel this way.

When a job seeker I’m meeting with gets this way, I always ask them one question:

“What is the hardest thing in their lives they’ve ever accomplished?”

The answers are pretty revealing – I’ve heard from people who have overcome life-threatening illness or had to recover from serious injuries.  Others talk about the dedication of playing sports or their training to run a marathon. Others talk about giving up smoking and I’ve had one person tell me about beating a drug addiction.  Some talk about their careers being their proudest but most challenging accomplishments.

In every case, they talk about their struggle, fear and the uncertainty of the outcome.

And when I ask them about what motivated them to achieve their goals – the things that inspired them to never give up – every single person talks about their commitment to the outcome; how they pushed through the fear and the anxiety and kept a red-hot-fire-in-the-belly-never-give-up commitment to their goal.

Its a commitment and level of perseverance that stokes that internal flame – it runs through every cell in your body every waking moment of the day.  It requires pulling yourself out of bed each morning and sometimes fighting through the ‘this is to hard’ mentality, diving in and moving forward and embracing an attitude that tells you “Somehow, I’ll find a way.”

Everyone has something they have achieved that has required an intense level of commitment.  When you are reaching a point where you need a boost of inspiration, remind yourself of that one thing in your life that called on you to call forth every ounce of energy, motivation, drive, and never-give-up attitude.

Commitment

True commitment is serious and it is powerful.

Commitment is not just saying you’ll do it. Commitment is doing it. True commitment is not conditional, for to be committed means to be absolutely committed.

Commitment is more than doing just what is convenient or comfortable. Commitment is doing what is necessary. Commitment is making the sacrifices and tradeoffs that are required to uphold it. Commitment is more than just wishing for the right conditions. Commitment is working with what you have.

Commitment is not easy. Commitment does not back down or run away at the first sign of trouble. Commitment perseveres until the goal is reached. Commitment does not waste time and effort whining or complaining or seeking to find blame. Commitment adjusts to reality and moves forward.

Too many people have been deceived for too long, and have come to expect that they can know fulfillment without the gritty effort of commitment. They are sadly mistaken. Real, solid commitment is real work. And well worth it. The evidence is overwhelming — it gets results like nothing else can.