While my husband and I went off to celebrate our wedding anniversary, we found ourselves in North Jersey, and stumbled across a little restaurant called "The Committed Pig". This was during COVID so we were excited that we could go into this little restaurant and dine. They had an interesting menu, but the food was amazing, in fact we ate there a couple of times during our short stay. As we entered the building there was this statement on the wall.
" The best way to describe the difference between involvement and commitment is "bacon & eggs". The chicken was involved but the pig is committed. Which one are you?"
Each time I entered the restaurant I would carefully read the quote and think wow this applies to so many areas of our lives. You could use it for your marriage, business, family, spirituality, well-being, and the list goes on. The more I pondered it I thought this is what success looks like. It takes both those that are involved and those that are committed to the cause. Those that are willing to lay everything they have down as a sacrifice. So, I want you to begin to think about this over the next week and consider which part do you play, and will it get you to the success you are looking for.
I'm not asking you to go out and sacrifice your life, as the pig does each time bacon and eggs are eaten, but I do want you to think about the cost of lack of discipline. Without discipline we will not see the results we want to see in our lives or business. The reality is that discipline is necessary for change. To see any type of results you must discipline yourself to do something. For instance, you want to lose 10lbs, you need to eat differently, exercise, and make a commitment to do it. That take discipline. Maybe you find it easy the first couple of days and you even feel better and then it happens. You go back to not wanting to get up earlier in the morning. At this crossroad you have a decision to make, will you discipline yourself or go back to old habits.
I know a lot of people that want to have a successful business but haven't really counted the cost of what that will look like. They are involved but not committed to the business. If you are not committed to the success of the business (and it is yours) it will not reach its full potential. You must be committed to doing the necessary work to make it happen. That means you may have to sacrifice time, learn new skills, get uncomfortable and do things outside of your normal comfort realm.
Some of my greatest successes have not come from the things I'm comfortable with, it is doing the things I'm not comfortable doing that has opened doors or launched me into new things. Some people may not believe this, but I wasn't always comfortable in crowds of people. I didn't want to have to walk into a room full of people, put a smile on my face and small talk. Honestly, who "likes" to do that?? Well, I have found that the more I pushed myself to do it, the more comfortable I became in those environments. I do prefer to have someone with me that gives me courage, but I have traveled all over the world, and had to discipline myself to step out of my comfort zone and meet people. I have met amazing people that I'm still friends with today because I was committed to the process.
Another word that comes to mind as I think about success is consistency. Wow, that's a tough one for me. I’m not sure if anyone else can relate but consistency is not one of my favorite words. In fact, I decided early this year, I would work on my consistency since that is required for a successful business. How would I do that? I would blog 1x a week. I felt like I could commit that much time to my business that I would develop content for my faithful readers once a week. It hasn't been easy; I have been stretched. In fact, this week I have sat all week wondering and thinking about what to write this week. There are times that it is easy and others when it isn't. My normal pattern would be, when it's easy and I have something to say, sit down and write my blog. If I’m not feeling inspired, then forget it. I must remind myself that this is a commitment. This is something that I must do to be consistent. Consumers love consistency. We want to know that when we go to our favorite restaurant, our favorite food will be on the menu. We want to know that if I go to my coffee shop on Wednesday that I’m going to have Suzi as my barista. Consistency for any business is important especially if you are just starting.
If you look up the success of McDonald’s, the reality is it is not their burgers or fries that have made them successful. It isn't Ronald McDonald either. What has created their success is the fact they have been able to create a system of replication that regardless of where you are at in the world you will receive consistent service, and food. Understanding the importance of being able to replicate the consistency has been key to their success. So, we have to think about how can we build consistency in our lives, and business. Think for a moment about consistency in your life. What does that look like? For me, it is praying regularly, reading my Bible regularly. I’m working on the exercising and eating healthy. That is not something I have committed to or been consistent in and it shows in my life.
You must find the things that you are willing to commit to and be consistent in them. You must also be realistic about your ability to be consistent. If you are a person like me that is not as structured in this area, don't overcommit because you will fail, and then it will take you in a spiral where you won't want to even try again. Instead, make a commitment to do it once a week, twice a week and stick to it. I allow myself the opportunity to write my blog whenever I want. I don't force myself to write daily, I'm not there yet. I'm working toward that. Why is that important, because I have books to write, and I must make sure that I can manage my time and commitments well. I often tell my clients and staff, "how do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time." Take your time, several small steps will get you to the end goal. It's about the consistency of the steps you take that will help you be successful in anything you want to do.
On a relational side. To get to know someone you must spend time with them. You must commit to the process, and then as there are things that come up that you need to change about yourself, you need to acknowledge and adjust which take discipline. All these things work together towards our success. My goal is to see you successful. I want you to be committed to the process of allowing some things in your life to die so that you can become your best version.