5 Steps to Recommit

I had a realization last month when I was planning to send my book to my editor. I opened up the manuscript to review one more time before sending and found it was not in the condition I remembered, in fact, I was sure there must be a more recent version!

Apparently, I had been revising the content in my head instead of on the actual pages. My inner critic immediately took over with, What’s wrong with you? Why is this taking you so long? You should have finished this book by now since you had a whole pandemic to do it!

After enduring some deep disappointment, I saw two options: quit the book project altogether or recommit to it. I decided to recommit, which is what we continually have to do with anything important because we all can fool ourselves into thinking we are exercising, slowing down, or writing, when we really aren’t.

Here are 5 Steps to Recommit:

1. Decide

Making the decision something is important the first time is the easy part of commitment. But with our finite amounts of time and energy, recommitting requires us to re-evaluate and decide if it still is important enough to let go of something else.

I let go of less important activities requiring my time and energy to write my book.

2. Commit

Committing is not the endgame, it’s the first step in the ongoing practice of recommitting. The first person we have to commit to is ourselves, and this requires us to plan, schedule, and time-block to treat it as important we say it is.

I schedule my writing for the early morning hours when my energy is high and interruptions are low.

3. Be Accountable

What we think we are doing and what we actually are doing are not always the same. Documenting what we do every day and getting support from a coach, accountability partner, or even a group helps keep us on track.

I meet with my teacher every two weeks to keep me accountable for what I’m doing, not just what I think I’m doing.

4. Practice Self-Compassion

We all will stumble, forget, and get off track, so it’s helpful to realize and accept this at the beginning of our commitment. Self-compassion is so important to our recommitment because it supports us to fall and get up again, while our inner critic keeps us stuck and suffering.

I practice loving-kindness for myself so I can continue writing!

5. Repeat

We easily forget our recommitment is the biggest part of our commitment. Recommitment requires self-leadership to make the best decisions that support us, over and over again.

I recommit to write my book because it is important to me.

What can you recommit to today because it’s important to you?