This week I commit to taking a step back to think about the facts of a situation before responding.
Each Wednesday, promptly at 8 a.m. EST, I have a phone call with my mentor who lives in Texas. I never know what exactly will take place in between our calls, but I do know that when we talk she asks what my opportunity for growth is for the next week or to what can I commit.
It’s hard to think about commitment in terms of the “smaller” things in our lives (you know, all of the stuff that’s not marriage, having children, getting an education, changing jobs or moving). After all, what if we say, “I commit to…” on a Wednesday and by Friday we find ourselves not following through? Who then are we letting down? Most often it’s ourselves.
However, I can think of many things I could commit to and many opportunities for growth in my life. This week, I told my mentor that I would like to commit to continuing to take a step back when something triggers my emotions or my irrational thoughts and behaviors, and consider the facts of the situation before responding. Whoa, that’s a tough one for us all, huh?
In other ways, I, like many others, struggle to commit for fear that I will somehow let people down, not live up to perceived expectations, or will myself be hurt. That’s not to say I’m scared of commitment. Rather, I find that I tend to be a bit more cautious when deciding on or entering into a commitment.
As far as an opportunity for growth, I will be leaving my internship site in a couple of weeks and heading to another program within the same organization. I can take the remainder of this week and the beginning of next week to optimize my learning experience. I have grown a tremendous amount since I started my internship in August, but there is a lot more to learn.
More importantly, I want to know what your opportunity for growth is this week or what small or big commitment you would like to make in an effort to improve your mental, emotional, spiritual or physical health…
This Side of the Creek 