Commitment – Passive or Active

Photo By: Kristian j. Olsen

I don’t know about you, but some of my best thinking happens while I am exercising.

Today I decided I would take half of my lunch and head outside to get some exercise. While I was running stairs I started thinking about commitment. In my line of work I get the opportunity to support people in getting the most out of their educational experience. My colleagues and I often get frustrated when students end up dropping out, often due to a lack of commitment. But is that why they drop out? Is it due to a lack of commitment or is it due to misplaced commitment.

I realized today that all of us are committed. There is not a person breathing that is not committed to something. The question is not are you committed. The question is what are you committed to? Are you committed to leaving a legacy? Or are you committed to watching the latest episode of LOST? Are you committed to being healthy or are you committed to enjoying that deep fried twinkie?

I came to an understanding today. There are two types of commitment. Active Commitment and Passive Commitment. I can hear you asking…”What is the difference”. Well, I am glad you asked.

Passive Commitment is akin to sitting on the sidelines and letting life pass you by. You have not made a conscience choice you simply let life happen. If a good show is on tv you watch it. If something looks tasty no matter how bad it is for you, you eat it. It is often making the easy choice not because you think about it, weigh the pros and cons, and then make a thoughtful decision. You make it because…well it provides the path of least resistance. Essentially you are like the stream who let’s the rocks around you determine your path.

Active Commitment is the exact opposite. Active Commitment is what we usually associate with the word commitment. It is when you make a decision and you see it through to the end…if you don’t see it through it is because you have made a well thought out decision that a different direction is wiser. It is when you take a pro-active role in your life and you make the choices rather than letting your surroundings or circumstances make the choices for you. It is when you flop on your bed at the end of the day exhausted from actively working towards your dreams. It is when you are at the end of your life and you look back and say…”I had a great life. I did all that I could with it. I have worn out rather than rusted out.” This is Active Commitment!

Like a lot of people I struggle at really getting the most out of life. To be honest I have had times in my life where I could tell you what was going on with every character in every evening tv show. I would come home from work, plop on the couch, and “relax” by watching 2, 3, or even 4 hours of tv. Invariably after a few months I would begin to chide myself for not having any commitment. What I did not realize at that time was I did have commitment. Passive Commitment.

So this year, I resolve to have a year of Active Commitment. To make this a fantastic year. To be like the rock rather than the stream. I hope you will join me in being Actively not Passively Committed in 2008.