If you want to do something well, commit to it. Commit to it like Mark Twain wrote novels. Commit to it like Henry Ford manufactured cars. Commit to it like MLK fought for civil rights. Be all in or don’t do it at all. Because even with all the knowledge in the world, a commitment to action is what is going to propel you forward. I recently had an experience where I had to go face to face with commitment.
Last week when I was in Canada, I went ice skating with some friends for the very first time. All I wanted to do was skate around the rink, fit in with the crowd and not fall flat on my face. Essentially, I wanted to look like I knew what I was doing and not some clumsy clown on the ice. However, there was a problem. There were a sea of people on the ice, my skates were a tad bigger than I needed, and I had no idea how to do this whole ice skating thing. As I walked toward the ice rink, I nearly turned my ankle. I never realized how difficult it was to actually walk in ice skates, much less actually get on that slippery, icy surface. In my defense, though, I grew up in Florida. The closest thing I came to Ice skating was accidentally dropping an ice cube out of the freezer and slipping on it.
As I eventually stepped onto the ice and began sliding around, I realized this was indeed going to be as hard as I imagined. As people whizzed around the rink, I hugged the shelter of the rink’s wall. I tried moving my feet on the ice like I do when I am on land but I made very little forward progress. I was afraid to commit to the side-to-side foot motion required to allow you to move forward. It was simple physics according to my pre-skating internet research on “how to ice skate.” Supposedly, you must propel yourself forward by pushing off the ice with a force perpendicular to the skate blade. Since the friction of the blade with the ice is almost zero, this is the only way to propel yourself forward. Knowing this, I thought it would be a piece of cake after getting on the ice. I assure you, there was no cake involved. After all, knowing how to do something and doing it are two different things. And, at that moment, I was afraid to commit to the doing part.
As I looked around the rink, I saw adults, little kids and senior citizens all skating like olympic champions. At this point, I felt scared, overwhelmed and inadequate. I tried to watch their technique, but it wasn’t enough.
Then, two twelve-year-old boys came skating out of nowhere and stopped next to me. They were wearing full hockey pads, helmets, and each had a hockey stick in their hand. I think they saw the embarrassing struggles I was enduring and simultaneously needed a break. They looked at me and said, “trust your legs. watch this!” And they took off and skated around the rink at high speeds weaving in and out of the scores of skaters. Their message seemed clear. You have to trust yourself, push past fear, and there is a good chance it will work out. Such a simple, yet powerful gesture of coaching from two young kids.
I thought about it for a moment and realized that I either had to commit to it or struggle through the next 45 minutes devoid of any fun. I put aside the fear of falling and started utilizing that perpendicular force I mentioned earlier. It seemed to work because all of a sudden I started skating more like a real skater and less like a clumsy oaf. I was moving quicker than I had before and I figured out how to pick up speed and turn in a very short amount of time. As my confidence began to build, I decided that high speeds were my new goal. About three minutes into that decision, I performed an unintentional 360 degree turn into a squat position. I’m fairly certain that from an outsiders view, it looked like I was attempting to breakdance on the ice. I had fallen. But so what! I got back up and started again. It began to be a ton of fun. A few minutes later I was skating at a good pace around the rink when I looked to my left and noticed the two boys who had been by my side earlier. They nodded at me as if to say, “there you go newbie, well done.”
At that moment, I gained the approval of a couple of twelve year old boys and it felt great. More than that though I felt a sense of accomplishment and jubilation for overcoming a fear and becoming a decent skater.
If you want to do something well, commit to it. Commit to it in your relationships, your work and anything else that you want to have a successful outcome. Like in skating, getting started and moving forward is the hardest part. You must be willing to slip and fall so that you can learn how not to slip and fall. As you know, growth resides outside your comfort zone. You must push past the negative emotions and the fear holding you back to get where you want in life.
If you want to do something well, commit to it. If you do and you stay focused, you will start to see some amazing results like Mark Twain, Henry Ford, Martin Luther King, and most recently I did. Try it!