Commitment

As with almost anything, if you want to succeed at anything you must be able to commit to what it is you want. "Nothing comes for free" they say, and this is not meant as a tormenting type of phrase, rather it is a reinforcement of what people need to remember when they want something so bad and how we need patience when aiming for that ultimate goal.

Commitment applies to everything, from wanting to become rich, producing your first home video, or maintaining healthy relationships with friends & family. It is exercised even when you would rather sever all ties or just quit. I also find that the act of committing to something is just as important when done for the self, such as wanting to get in physical shape or setting other personal goals that give you a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment.

The act of commitment is the first in the five steps to happiness, according to Yogi Bhajan. He has stated that in order to be completely be HAPPY (which is your birthright), commitment is primary in being able to live a healthy as well as wholy life, free of illness or malaise. Once you have established commitment your character is under your control. Character gives you dignity and people trust you and there is no duality about how people see you, therefore this also gives you divinity and grace. This sets you up to give up any hidden agenda and gives you the power to sacrifice, the power to overcome any pain, physical or mental. It is that sacrifice that gives you full HAPPINESS. © Yogi Bhajan.

There are on occasion things that we don’t realize we are committed to because they are just things that we grew up with, perhaps how we like to treat others or our work ethics, and other things we pick up along the way through careful observation of our time here on earth and with others. There seem to be so many things that we commit to nowadays that it can really make one dizzy. How about our commitment to our friends, our work, our social engagements, our family members, our pets and so many other things? With all of these commitments we might become overwhelmed with what is automatically happening and it becomes even tougher to recognize what we would like to start or how to set new goals when old commitments have past there due date or serve us no longer. When we have fewer commitments things are simpler and everything else seems to just fall into place.

All this in mind, I wish all those who are looking to renew old commitments or start new ones the very best in creating a path toward happiness. Keep it simple, maybe start with an easy goal and the rest should follow.