Are you committed?

Committed means being bound or obligated, as under a pledge to a particular cause, action, or attitude.

Bishop T.D. Jakes talks about his choir in one of his sermons. He says the singers in the choir may not be the best, but they are the most committed. The best singers might be sitting in the congregation, but they’re not committed. They haven’t taken that step to pledge themselves to choir practice and being at church every Sunday to sing. However, the choir singers enjoy what they do and rejoice in sharing their talent with the congregation.

Committed entrepreneurs are like singers in the choir, they may not be the very best in their field, but they are taking action on something they love to do and successfully sharing their message and knowledge with others.

What about you – are you committed to your business? Don’t just instinctively say “Yes”. Think about that for a minute… Do you show up every day ready to do whatever it takes to make your business succeed? Or do you just show up? Do you step outside your comfort zone to talk to prospects, whether at networking events or picking up the phone? Or do you stay hidden behind your computer and avoid conversations? Do you market yourself consistently and consciously to “get your name out there”? Or do you sit back and wait for people to Google and find your website? Do you have a plan in place for your business success? Or do you haphazardly fumble through day to day?

To succeed in your business you must be 100% committed. You can’t show up one day and not the next. You can’t keep your fingers crossed that the phone will ring. You must take deliberate action.

Let’s look at Jane. Jane has a new business route she wants to take. She wants to leave behind her old service offerings and move into the new. However, in marketing and working on her business, she won’t let go of the old. At this point, Jane is sending mixed messages to her audience. She’s not 100% committed to the new offerings. She’s keeping the old “just in case”. Not only does this confuse the people listening to Jane, but it also is draining her. She can’t concentrate and focus on her new business route… and she’s subconsciously telling herself the new offerings won’t succeed!

Being committed to your business doesn’t mean that you have to work 18-hour days seven days a week. It means creating the right systems, hiring the right people, and putting in the number of hours required to succeed in your business.

Paul J. Meyer, founder of Success Motivation Institute, said, “Productivity is never an accident. It is always the result of a commitment to excellence, intelligent planning, and focused effort.”

Are you standing up in the choir singing or are you just sitting in the congregation?