Natural Healing: Commitment Or Fear?

Well now you've gone and done it. You've committed yourself to a task you're not at all sure you can pull off. The obstacles are enormous. And someone's counting on you to bring it in on schedule. "It" might be a healthy lifestyle change, starting a new business, an upgrade to your primary relationship, a move across country, or nearly anything that's vitally important to your health and well-being. You've committed yourself. And now you've got to do it.

It's kind of like a big test.

You really, really want the "optimized" version of your life. Not entirely sure how it's gonna happen. But for some crazy reason you threw your hat into the ring. Having done so, now, you can't go back. Because someone incredibly important to your well-being is watching to see how this little exercise turns out.

You.

Pull it off, and you're golden. You'll know you're more powerful than you'd ever dreamed and you'll get right on it with the next thing. Blow it and you're fruitcake. A dud. You'll have "proved" your lameness beyond the shadow of a doubt (at least in your own mind). You just might never try again. It's a huge gamble!

Let's put this in context. What might you have at stake in this exercise?

* You said you were going to finish college. At stake? Increased earning potential for the rest of your life.
* You said you were going to make your spouse feel special, like s/he did when you first got married. At stake? Keeping your family intact; coasting into those "golden years" with your best friend.
* You said you were going to lighten up the scale by 100 pounds. At stake? Getting off the blood pressure meds; not having a heart attack; feeling well enough to play sports with the kids.
* You said you were going to turn entrepreneur and develop a second income. At stake? Long-term financial security.

See how we play this game? We play to win.

So there you are, having made the commitment, and you're scared. This "new" road requires a whole different skill-set than you've ever used before. You don't know where you're going to find it and you sure don't know how to make it stick. What if you're not good enough?

That's the fear talking.

Can you hear it? Yep, that little voice in the back of your head. It's urging you to take a nap. Do the laundry. Check your email. Paint the bathroom. Grab a little snack. Take a break in front of the tube. Surely you deserve it -- you worked hard all day!

But here's how the game goes. You've got a plan, right? Of course you do. You're going to college, there's a syllabus. You're lightening up the scale, there's an exercise program. You're making happy with your spouse, there's a conversation ... a reservation ... some quality time.

So in the moment, the only choice you have to make is to choose from commitment and follow the plan ... or to choose from fear and distract yourself. That's it! Moment to moment, day to day, you make your choice:

Commitment = follow the plan.

Fear = follow the distraction.

Commitment won't be your most comfortable option. Comfortable is where you live right now. But you've already got your hat in the ring, remember? And now you've gotta get it out! So actually, where you live right now isn't really so comfortable either. Won't be until you get your hat back.

Here's how I see it. When you threw that hat into the ring, you were making the smartest choice you knew how. Setting the bar higher and giving yourself some accountability. You knew you'd need the incentive. You set it up that way. So let's get real here.

Go get that hat!