Weekly Om - Commitment

Weekly Om Commitment

What is it about summer that gets some of us so off course that we can't wait to get kids off to school so we can go back to our schedules?

Why can't we keep our schedules during the summer months? I know, sometimes it's logistics but honestly, what is it? If we were really committed to whatever it was we were "getting back to", why did we let it go in the first place? Or why didn't we make the effort to keep it up no matter what got in our way?

Take yoga for example. I know personally, I did not practice as much as I would have liked over the summer. I chose to use the excuse, "Being at home with my kids is my yoga practice." which sounds so prophetic doesn't it?

This one observation made me question, why didn't I commit to my yoga practice? When were the moments that I chose something else instead of yoga? And why did I do that when I know how good yoga makes me feel?

Commitment by definition is: The state of being bound emotionally or intellectually to a course of action or to another person or persons.

What are we committed too? Our spouse or partner is an obvious answer. What about the completion of a project? Finishing our college degree, training or certification program is another example.

If commitment is such a strong word I wonder why sometimes we use it so loosely. Have you ever walked away from a relationship that you committed too? What about a job? How many times have you started on a project and decided it was too much to keep up with so you gave up?

What about good old New Year resolutions? Losing weight, quitting smoking, living healthier, talking nicer, exercising more...all these things are commitments and sometimes we are excited to go along this new path only to find that it is challenging to keep up, maintain or make the change completely. But that is where the learning takes place!

It's in that pivotal moment when we know we can either stray from our commitment or ask ourselves why? What is preventing me from keeping this commitment? What am I afraid of in this situation? Who could I become if I stayed?

Ask yourself what are you committed to? Make a list. What would it look like? Pick just one thing you feel committed to - maybe it's a yoga class! Then do it! Put that one thing first! Notice when you start to make excuses to not move with that commitment and without beating yourself up, without judging, just ask yourself why? And then keep moving toward it.

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