5) Are You Truly Committed?

At 15, I told myself that shit was going to be drastically different as I became an adult. I wasn’t going to live paycheck to paycheck, I was going to do something I love, and I was going to change future generations of Gregory’s.

I’m pushing toward this long-term commitment each day.

Most people think they’re committed to this or that, but let me break it down. Is there a day, a time, and an accountability present in your life to get to the next level? Are you prepared for that moment when you have to deliver? That’s the type of commitment I’m talking about.

Any long-term commitments originated from several short-term commitments. Sometimes I knocked them out of the park, and sometimes I didn’t.

The First Time

For me, the first short-term commitment was when someone handed me $20 to personal train with them. I was making $14 per hour as a coal miner, and $21 per hour overtime. I worked between 50-90 hours per week. The workload always pushed me into overtime, so I knew what it felt like to make a decent amount of money.

As soon as that person handed me a $20 bill, I immediately knew that this was for real. I saw the potential. I saw the possibilities. I was committed to building my business in order to live my dream.

The Accountability

Let me give you an example from a fitness entrepreneur perspective. I’ve stacked one small commitment on top of another small commitment FOR YEARS. Literally from the time I competed in my first powerlifting meet at 17 years old. Everything changed when I understood that there was a sport associated with my hobby. Powerlifting required me to show up, weigh a certain weight, and perform. I began to get butterflies.

This was going to be my key. I’d get ready for the next powerlifting meet, then I got ready for my first bodybuilding show, and then my first photo shoot.

I told people, “Hey, I can’t cheat on my diet because I have to stand in front of everyone in my underwear in three weeks.” I’ve performed on the platform in front of crowds where some of the people don’t like me. These people want me to fail when I attempt to squat 600 pounds.

Are you committed? Are you committed with your relationships? Are you committed with your work? Do you have a long-term commitment strategy? Do you know where you want to go?

I had a date. Small commitment to small commitment, then came the big commitment.

Fast-forward 15+ Years

The path is never linear.

Years of small commitments all contributed to a larger purpose. Then, I’m sitting on Arnold Schwarzenegger’s back porch around Christmastime, I light a cigar and think to myself, “Holy shit.” Way back when I couldn’t even conceptualize what was possible.

Short term, short term, short term, BOOM. Push to the top. Things that I couldn’t have dreamed of have happened to me. I committed when I was 15 years old to make a change so that when I was done things would be dramatically different for my family and me. Ain’t in that motherfuckin’ trailer anymore. Ain’t in that trailer-mindset anymore.

Make a Change

It requires a great deal of perseverance to stay on track and believe in yourself.

Commit long-term. The short-term commitments will add up to something BIG. You can’t just say you want the big thing, then have nothing between now and then to achieve it.

So ask yourself: are you truly committed to the long-term? Do you have short-term items in place now? Do you have days of accountability where you have to show up and perform? If you don’t, you better get ‘em.