Freakin’ airlines! What’s up with them! A long time ago, someone decided that the planes were going to leave the terminal on time, whether all the passengers were aboard or not! Their tickets are relatively expensive! They also seem to have a hassle-factor built into bumping to the next flight out, whenever that may be! They are smart enough, to have me following all their rules! Overall, I want to get myself on that plane, on-time, period.

Okay, maybe they used to do that with trains too, or busses,  maybe still do. I don’t really know, but the key here is that we always, almost-every-single-time-always make it to the airport on-time and are seated ready to go, when the plane takes off.

Almost never do we miss a plane flight.

This concept was brought to my attention sometime in the last few years by Steve Chandler. The idea that we place so much importance on being physically ready and present for our airplane travel is astonishing.

On the other hand, when we make life plans, or new year’s resolutions, our success rate is much lower. We can intend to shoot for our goals, and rock a new body by summer, but we really don’t deliver on our self-promises, as much as we do with a plane flight.

That’s just me of course. You probably are one of those people. A raging success. Someone who sets  yearly goals, has an internal progress report practice, and measures your continuous accomplishments. You probably count every calorie and live always at the optimum weight and bmi. You are probably waaaay more disciplined in almost every area of life, than I am… So you can go back to looking at damnyouautocorrect.com and save yourself from reading any more.

Commitment is the thing that is inherently built into my idea of flying on a plane. I am eagerly anticipating the trip ahead. I am going to some place more fun or exciting than home. I am spending some money to experience a new place. I know that when I get to the airport, the chances of me arriving on-time to my destination is very high. I do know that the TSA search and seizure policies are unnerving, but I still want to make the trip anyway. I am operating at a high level of commitment and I’m accomplishing my mission.

I am still the un-disciplined. The procrastinator. The quick-to-start; rare-to-finish’er. I am still not creating a masterful overall life-enriching plethora of commitments. I am just doing the one thing, in that one moment. I am getting myself on the plane, one way or another.

And tonight, Wednesday Night, I am blogging here, for the exact same reason. I am forcing myself to create this post a day early compared to my ‘normal’ schedule. I have a ‘flight’ coming up that I don’t want to miss. Friday, Valentine’s Day, will be lift-off. I am planning on an action-packed, comprehensively crazy day/weekend at our restaurant, The Brand’N Iron Bar and Grill. Historically, it is one of the busiest days of our year. I want to blog tonight, rather than tomorrow night, so that I can get a little more rest, the night before. I want all the advantages I can get, to perform at my peak on that one day. I will even break my normal routine, and blog one day early, for this upcoming event…

Darn. Wish I knew how to ignite this high-level of commitment, on any day, at any time, for any reason I choose. I guess I can see in the hindsight, which things and events and goals, I was committed to and which ones I wasn’t. The ones I completed successfully, I was. Those I didn’t, I wasn’t. If I want some great advice on commitment, I can check in with Dusan Djukich’s twitter feed, or his great book. I do know where resources are available to show me that commitment is the #1 thing I affecting my performances at any given time…

In reality though, when I see my lower-level commitments in action, I tend to be weak, and get frustrated with myself. When I once-again fail to swing an connect on a solid spike on the volleyball court, I am disappointed in myself. I know that if I wanted to figure it out, and be a better hitter, and commit to that phase of my game, I could do it. But usually, like right now, I do something else, instead of practice hitting the volleyball.

So there. I have created another post tonight. My commitment to this ‘thing’ continues. I however, adjusted it, for a bigger commitment in my life. The restaurant has all my attention this Friday, and it has now ranked above the blog. Usually, I make them coexist, and squish lots into a small timeframe.

When I see the magnitude of the weekend ahead, I am willing to clear my schedule as much as possible. I can do anything I want to, when I am committed enough to it. I know that, dag-nabit. I know too, that I have grey areas, in what I say I am committed to, and what is proven in my actions, to others, and to myself.

Sincerely,

Aaron Nichols

Words I’ll need this weekend…
“Just don’t be you. Be what it takes.” – Dusan Djukich (a Kansan)