Going Public
Seven months ago, I made a personal commitment – to provide an article to our tribe every Monday morning that seeks to provide a mental stretch for purpose driven leaders as they gear up for their week.
28 weeks. 28 stretch articles. 28+ leader development resources offered (including ‘week 0’ and today’s installment).
I share this milestone not out of pride or in search of affirmation.
In keeping with the spirit of MMS, I want to lean into the character-building nature of making a personal commitment public.
Making a purely public commitment is one thing. Yeah, it’s out there, and people may throw a little shade if you don’t hit the mark.
But that’s not uncommon these days. Public commitments are like organizational goals. If you hit them, great! If you don’t, that stinks. We move on.
Personal commitments made public are another animal.
These are commitments that flow out of you as a leader. They involve your heart, your vision, and your very personal investment in their completion.
When these commitments are broken, we feel a wound. The blade made contact. Proverbial blood is shed.
We will likely need a moment to assess, reflect, and recover. Our confidence takes a hit. Our felt sense of identity may even be affected.
It’s not a good day.
As a leader, I’m sure you have set some goals for 2025. This comes with the territory.
But…are any of them personal commitments? And have you been willing to take those personal commitments public?
Andy Frisella defines mental toughness as “the ability to make, and keep, commitments to yourself.”
The concept is reinforced in his ’75 Hard’ mental toughness program that involves:
Completing 5 critical tasks
Every day
For 75 days
No misses, no exceptions
The difficulty isn’t in the tasks. The difficulty is in the ‘no misses, no exceptions’ caveat. You miss one thing, one time, you start over at the beginning.
Even if your miss is on day 75.
You – and only you – are the sole judge of your adherence to this ridged, uncompromising schedule.
Having completed this challenge 3x in the last three years, I can attest to two things: 1) It was very personal. 2) Going public with my personal commitment was a critical factor in its successful completion.
Back to you.
What about your move into 2025 is personal?
What commitment has your heart, soul, mind, and body invested in its completion?
What will leave a wound, and maybe a scar, if that commitment is not fully completed?
What commitment(s) are you willing to make, and keep…to yourself (and, by proxy, to the world around you)?
I encourage you to find at least one, maybe three. Consider the critical arenas of Business, Life, and Faith, and make one personal commitment in each of them.
Then make that personal commitment public by sharing it with your inner circle.
If I can be of support or encouragement to you in this meaningful exercise, please let me know.
Helping leaders in the intentional pursuit of their redemptive potential is what I do.
As we wrap 2024 and head into 2025, I wish you well, my friends.
As a purpose driven leader, may God bless your generous investment in others AND your personal stewardship of the greatest gift we have been given…a redeemed life in Christ.
Grace and Peace to you and yours…
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A Summary of 2024’s Articles & Resource Recommendations:[“Article Title” (related resource)]
MMS 24:01 "The Power of the Sprint" (Blinkest)
MMS 24:02 "My Single Largest Expense" (I Dare You; Square One)
MMS 24:03 "Light in the Darkness" (The Global Leadership Summit)
MMS 24:04 "Let the Players Decide" (Flow-state Decision Making)
MMS 24:05 "First-world Expectations Matter" (Ridiculously Easy to Do Business With)
MMS 24:06 "Set Points and Sabotage" (Peter L. Steinke Trilogy)
MMS 24:07 "Managing Your Shelf" (Executive Toughness)
MMS 24:08 "The Delusion of Omnicsience" (A Failure of Nerve)
MMS 24:09 "Leading Off the Map" (Dare to Lead)
MMS 24:10 "A Philosophy of Leadership" (Getting Things Done)
MMS 24:12 "Choice - A Driving Force" (Gratitude)
MMS 24:13 "Fear-Based Decision Making" (Extreme Ownership)
MMS 24:14 "Fear-Based Selling" (Fanatical Prospecting)
MMS 24:15 "The Integrity of Process B" (Principles)
MMS 24:16 "Permission Granted?" (Who Moved My Cheese?)
MMS 24:17 "Are You 'Sending'?" (The Magic of Thinking Big)
MMS 24:18 "A Force to Contend With" (Can't Hurt Me)
MMS 24:19 "It's Not That Hard" (I Want to Thank You)
MMS 24:20 "Some Days...It's All You've Got" (The Kedge Anchor)
MMS 24:21 "Gut Check" (Younger Next Year)
MMS 24:22 "Paid to Think" (Paid to Think)
MMS 24:23 "Who's in Charge Here?" (The 12-week Year)
MMS 24:24 "A Dark Force" (12 Rules for Life; Beyond Order)
MMS 24:25 "Just One More Thing" (Training Camp; Relentless)
MMS 24:26 "Cognitive Dissonance" (Blink)
MMS 24-27
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Blessings to you, my friend!
