“Are you Interested or Committed?”

Kelsey MacAulay, a friend of mine and CRO of BlackStar Wealth, fired this across the table at me paraphrasing a concept and deep feeling that I had been trying to express in conversation.  

A couple of years ago, I came to an understanding about myself and about moving forward on a personal level.  Once upon a time, in 2014, I had a skiing accident.  It was silly – and that is not this story.  It resulted in some injuries and jolted me awake to the fact that time was marching on and while I always wanted to be healthier – I had not done it.  Now injured, the consequences of not acting to become healthier crystallized in my mind.

For years, I had thought about getting in shape, and like many people my weight and activity levels had yo-yoed up and down.  Work, parenthood all seemed to take so much time – my health was not on the list.  Moreover, it was so easy to not do anything.

After the ski crash, I decided to do it.  For the first time, I noted that making that decision felt different  bringing with it a certain sense of clarity and simplicity.   Nike has their slogan “Just do it.™”  The subtext to that is “Just make a decision to do it.”  For me, that decision was the first step– and arguably most important step– on a journey to improved wellness.  It wasn’t just about weight loss – although I started there.  It was about fitness, health, mental health.   The decision was the difference.  While there are many things I want to do – those that I decide to do is a much smaller subset.

In 2018, I decided to participate in the True Patriot Love Foundation’s first ever all-women’s expedition to Baffin Island.  This brings me to the second part of decisions – they may need to be made more than once.  For the expedition, I have had to make the decision over and over – each time I head to the gym, each time I cross-train and pull the tire around my neighbourhood, each time I hand over my credit card and purchase the gear that will keep me warm and safe. (Plus, you know, polar bears.) 

Failing to decide is a decision in and of itself. 

When, in the past, I did not make the decision – it was, in fact, a decision to not take it seriously.  Indecision or failing to commit, the flip side, leads to its own event cascades.  When the alternative to not acting is evident and egregious, the decision to act is clear.  Freeze or keep moving?  Live or die? Unfortunately, rarely is it that simple.

And often, the most difficult decisions are those we must make and to which we must commit guided by our moral compass in the face of opposition, or temptation, or in an hour of weakness.

Back to Kelsey.  “Are you interested or committed?” he said.  Good question.

Interest comes first; I want to do it.  Decision comes next.  Commitment is the sum of each time I decide to do it hourly, daily, weekly, whenever it is needed.  

For the expedition, I continue to make the decision 13 days before we depart.  I am committed.

Today.

And tomorrow, I will commit again.