Commitment…

Commitment. You can commit to many different things, relationships, a better lifestyle, your personal philosophy. The first thing I have come to the conclusion of, is that you need to commit to yourself first. Now, I am not a believer of “you can’t expect someone to love you when you don’t love yourself.” I do believe that someone can love you as you are working on loving yourself. Sometimes it helps having someone that loves you to emphasize what they love about you so you can see it too. 

I have struggled with staying committed to certain things that will benefit me in the long run. Although, recently I got a jolt of a sense that I need to change. And it’s now or never. I am in a stage of my life where I need to hustle until my high heels break. Working my way into a competitive career field and wanting to be the best they’ve ever seen. It’s going to take a lot. Commitment, sacrifices, change, and risks. 

Mike “Doc” Emerick is one of my biggest inspirations when it comes to having a career in sports. In his book “Off Mike,” he talks about how big of a commitment hockey is. Not only to those that play but to the parents as well. I have never been one to be easily struck by any words in a book for it to be a moment that hits me like a ton of bricks. But, I think I had that when I was reading the first chapter simply titled “A Commitment.” He said, “The sport is about commitment and work ethic. You don’t stay in this sport long if you are lacking those traits,” and that made my heart sink. In a good way.

If I don’t have the simple commitment to waking up two hours earlier than I usually do, then how can I commit to a demanding career? Lately I have been doing things to create better habits. Waking up earlier, going outside more, cleaning my room on a weekly basis, those types of things. The small things that make the environment around you feel better so you feel better. 

So with that being said. My rainy Sunday (at the time of writing this) has consisted of playoff hockey and reading different articles on commitment and work ethic. Came to many conclusions. Some of them being that change starts with you (obviously). Make sure your behaviors reflect what you want to be and your passion. Set priorities and work from the smaller ones to the bigger ones. That failure is inevitable so make the most of it. Explore beyond your comfort zone. And most importantly, be kind to yourself when you’re figuring things out as you go. 

I set my priorities list. Smallest to biggest. The smaller ones can be considered as the biggest priorities. But those are the ones I can work on everyday by myself. The bigger ones range from better work ethic, stronger time management and organization, and having better studying habits. Being a bigger team player is on my list. Change starts with me.

I don’t know which Greek God or what wacky act the Universe did to me to make me realize these things. I’m glad it happened though. I can truly see myself turning into the me I deserve to be. The woman I’ve always wanted to be.

Until next time,

ES