“Put your ass where your heart wants to be.” Steven Pressfield
“I want” isn’t commitment. Passion and planning aren’t action. “These are good ideas” is comforting drivel.
The evidence of commitment is singular and obvious. It’s action. Nothing more. Nothing less.
Commitment is Showing Up
Pressfield teaches that tremendous power lies in the simple, physical act of stationing our body at the epicenter of our dream.
Move toward the thing you want.
- Want to understand customers? Get with customers.
- Want to improve operations? Go where the work happens.
- Want to advance? Help people above you.
- Want to innovate? Move to where innovators live.
Action produces courage.
Choose the Right People
“Show me your friends and I’ll show you your future.” Unknown
Glenn Frey, a founder of the Eagles, moved to LA from Detroit. He rented a cheap apartment above Jackson Browne. Day after day, Glenn heard Jackson crafting songs. Repeating them time after time.
Frey said, “So this is how you write a song!”
The people around you strengthen your aspiration or they reinforce your excuses.
Take Risks
Do something where failure matters.
Dreams are dangerous.
The ego thinks. The ego plans. The ego worries. The ego fears.
Commitment:
- Turns aspiration into action.
- Never asks, “Do I feel like doing this?”
- Always asks, “What do I do next?”
Action transforms you. Repeated action becomes identity.
What’s the difference between wanting something and being committed to it?
The Destruction of “Maybe” – Leadership Freak
Read: Put Your Ass Where Your Heart Wants to Be by Steven Pressfield.
