Recharging - interested or committed?
by Dr. Tom Buckley
Why will two similar people start with a specific goal and on average only one achieves it? Why can two athletes of equal ability who train together every day doing the same training sessions but in competition one consistently beats the other?
In my experience there are two types of people where it comes to goal achievement: those who are interested and then those who are committed. The interested athlete will train, maybe even consistently, but most probably do not pay attention to nutrition or sleep, and is always cramming in training. The committed athlete makes time for training, looks at very aspect of their training and performance, and pays particular attention to rest and recovery.
So what has this to do with life in general? Ask yourself, why does one worker get promoted above another? Is one more alert to the potential opportunity while the other frequently suffers from sleepless, junk fueled days thus missing opportunities? Is one consistent with their performance while the other just has great days or moments?
Going on a fab diet for three weeks is someone interested in loosing weight, adopting a long term lifestyle change that is sustainable is commitment. Being home for ten minutes before sleep time is being interested; being home for bath and bed time stories, no matter what, is commitment.
Being interested usually results in great excitement at first where as being committed is less exciting. Being interested is all about excuses, being committed involves no excuses.
If you’re reading this, chances are your interested, but ask yourself: “are you committed?” Recharging requires commitment.
Tom Buckley a University lecturer and researcher in the field or Health Sciences whose doctoral studies focused on physiological responses to stress. Author of several peer reviewed publications and supporting author of Flip the Switch, his current research interests are in human factors related to performance and wellbeing