Juggling Commitments, But Committing to Nothing — What Would Vince Lombardi Do?

You rarely hear people running around saying they don’t have anything to attend or participate in. Various types of people share this “information” in just the everyday conversation. Likewise, in today’s society, Americans in the 21st century are living and breathing to be each other’s personal people pleasers.

Forget talking in person anymore for any lengthy amount of time; forget eating down at a table for a meal. Who even has time for handwritten correspondences at the end of the day? Something as formal as handwriting would only be done for a wedding, right? Wrong.

It’s time for Americans to wake up to a sad reality that people have forgotten how to communicate and generally maintain balance in life. People haven’t become masters of relationships or success, just master jugglers.

It’s seemingly ironic — since there are so many forms of instant communication — that people would struggle so much relationally and in terms of their personal success.

According to Facebook.com/press.info, “Facebook has 750 million active users and of those users approximately 250 million people use it mobile.” This longing for instant gratification, all the time, is really, the derivative of a motive for instant communication. Instant communication is a quick, first thought answer. Let me reiterate to, this struggle, is also a desire for people pleasing.

From the same set of statistics mentioned previously, most people on Facebook have an average of 130 friends. Why is it so important for so many people to have information on your personal life, if at the end of the day those same people don’t have the time “to have time” these days?  

Allow this to emphasize, real communication, is key to “it” — regardless of the amount of “it” in your life. People have “it” in mass amounts, slender amounts, and every amount in between. Some people, just quite frankly, don’t fully understand “it” though. However, “it” is the foundation of having healthy relationships with others and success in anything in life. So, if people can have “it” in all forms, what is “it”? Why do some people have more of “it” than others? Well, that is all dependent upon the person and their awareness of “it” having presence in their life.

The big “it” all comes down to an overlooked, yet widely used word in today’s common language: commitment.

Clearly, the lack of commitment doesn’t even start with the lack of ability to communicate well anymore. The struggle with success even in today’s society starts at the root of committing, more than any other issue mentioned or implemented. Commitments are made every day. The types of commitment are so versatile, too, it’s unbelievable the amounts of “committing” people undertake. Yet, once a lack of “commitment” is identified, one may find that there are some things no longer worth trying to “commit” to. 

How much time are you willing to give to something? How much of yourself will you pour into an opportunity? When one begins to ask the right questions, the answers will become much clearer.

Another conclusion that’s spelled out black and white is "there's a difference between being interested and committed, just as there is a difference between promise and fulfillment. When you're interested in doing something, you do it only when time allows. Commitment to something means you accept no limitations and live the commitment out, fearlessly.

Vince Lombardi never settled for anything, or let anything hold him back. To many he is remembered as a man who put others first and led others to success. Legendary coach Lombardi once said, “The quality of a person's life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor.”

His legacy as a coach inspired the hearts of many to commit to being a fan of the game, just to see this man’s actions and words, in action. In his rookie year as a NFL coach, after having many experiences that got him there, Lombardi signed a five-year contract with the Packers. His motivational drive and commitment left him victorious with Super Bowl I. He taught, provoked excellence, and led his same team to Super Bowl II, as well. Vince Lombardi’s coaching was a calling he didn’t receive until going through many different occupations within and outside of the game of football. Yet, nothing ever stopped Lombardi from achieving his heart's desires.

Another word of wisdom from Lombardi: “Once a man has made a commitment to a way of life, he puts the greatest strength in the world behind him. It’s something we call heart power. Once a man has made this commitment, nothing will stop him short of success.”

People are looking around for miracles, legendary coaches, anything really that’s inspirational and motivating. However, people can share motivating inspirational stories all day long, but that won’t necessarily make someone a more committed person or follow through with that commitment with their personal actions.

What if you are made for so much more than what you’re currently living? How do you know for certain that you are not an ordinary person capable of extraordinary things? It’s a choice, a choice, which can only be made by the person making the decision.

When a parent races their child around town so their freshman in high school can participate in all of the activities that parent signed their child up for, that parent signed up for a commitment to follow through on. The child’s participation in said activity, for example, football would not even be possible unless a parent signed on, and committed to being a part of the experience too. At the end of a day, that same parent is warring with all of these commitments that he or she has made, and longs for that child to have full commitment, because all the driving is an added weight to the other commitments a parent has.

As stated by a French novelist, “We promise according to our hopes and perform according to our fears.” Hence, that same parent begins identifying the steps in transitioning their child, age 15, to take full responsibility of driving, finally easing the parent’s commitment, right? Wrong. Well, at least not at first because learning to drive also involves a lot of commitment still from a parent, in all the steps necessary of the course, in order for their child to have success. The day the child is able to come home, a year later, the child now has hopefully learned communication and found success because of the child’s desire to stay committed to family, their sport, and balance their time.

Don’t continue to try and juggle. Don’t settle for quick answers. Don’t share every detail of your “busy” self with the world. Be the unexpected, live out all you say, and stay true to your word. Tell people with your actions; speak in silence, starting with commitment.

Stop settling for anything that isn’t the true fruition of who you are and what you are capable of. Stop setting limitations on anything you set your mind to from a day to day activity, to becoming a legend. Commitment is the action of making promises into reality. It is making the time when there isn’t time to left to spare. Commitment through struggle is the development and the reflection of one’s character. It is the daily triumph of credibility over disbelief.

Commitment has the power to produce change negatively or positively everywhere, at any time, every day.