Committed or Interested

Have you ever thought about this regarding where you sit in all the variables that make your life? First, we should look at the Oxford Dictionary definitions of committed and interested.

Committed: Feeling dedication and loyalty to a cause, activity, or job; wholeheartedly dedicated.

Interested: Showing curiosity or concern about something or someone; having a feeling or interest.

1. When you’re committed you find a way. When you are interested, you find an excuse.

a. Have had several teammates, employees along the way that found a way to get better, found a way to get that report done, get better at a specific skill no matter how hard or uncomfortable it was.

b. Have had many teammates, employees that took refuge in excuses…took comfort in “I’ll do it next time, or I was to busy, or they don’t like me anyways, I haven’t been trained on how to do that”.

2. When you’re committed you do whatever it takes. When you’re interested you do what’s convenient.

a. Have had a few teammates, employee’s that when it gets hard…they dig in and compete to get what is needed done or get what was asked completed. “My name is on this…not only will it be good but also on time mentality.”

b. Have had teammates, employee’s fall into the “this is to hard…. I’ll do it if it works for me or is easy mentality.” Ask yourself, “How do you handle hard stuff?”

3. When you’re committed you do it consistently. When you’re interested you do it occasionally.

a. Have had a few teammates, employees who dig into the “basic fundamentals” and do them all the time. These folks also turned out to be consistently good.

b. Have had a few teammates, employees that are intentional in their work 1-2 days/week…do just enough to not be noticed. They often forget about their “basic fundamentals.”

4. When you’re committed you take accountability. When you’re interested you point fingers and shift blame.

a. Have had a few teammates, employees that seek accountability. Believe that we are wired to seek structure and accountability…may not show it, but we all want this. Tied to performance feedback and what you do with that…. blow it off or listen/apply to get better?

b. Have had many teammates, employees that not only don’t/can’t apply performance feedback but refute it. Again, this goes back to identifying ME or WE Machines…these folks don’t have a growth mindset, which impacts other areas and those that are around them.

Power here comes from building awareness around this idea/concept. Bring these statements to your reticular activating system (RAS) so you can create awareness within your own journey and/or those you lead! Ask yourself, “Am I committed or interested in my marriage, my relationships, my leadership, my parenting, my coaching, on the field or court, at work, at home, at the gym, my development, etc.?” These are healthy conversations to have with ourselves. Feeds into the concept of a growth or fixed mindset.