“Unless commitment is made, there are only promises and hopes… but no plans.”
– Peter F. Drucker
Narmada College of Management recommenced its Discussion Forum on Saturday, 16th September, 2023 in the presence of Dr. P H Shah Sir, Dr. Trupti Almoula Madam and all Faculties. The theme of discussion was “Commitment”. The session began with a discussion on the meaning of commitment. It was followed by experience sharing by the participants about fulfillment of commitments and incidents where they failed to uphold them. A gist of the discussion is given below.
Commitment is more than a promise to do or give something. It is the state or quality of being dedicated to a particular cause or person, be it a relationship, a target at work, family etc. This commitment that a person makes comes with an obligation to act in certain ways in order to fulfill that commitment. It has a huge influence on the behavior that an individual exhibits.
There are two aspects of commitment; internal and external. An external commitment is when we are accountable to someone else. An internal commitment is when we are accountable to ourselves. External commitments are generally powerful because of social contracts, acceptance, and the prospect of acquiring some resources (i.e. financial). Internal commitments can be powerful depending on how accountable you’re willing to be, to yourself. An internal commitment and an external commitment can be aligned – they can be one in the same.
Commitments are an essential part of our social as well as personal lives. The future is often uncertain and comes with a lot of obstacles in the journey of life. But making a commitment would mean that despite the challenging circumstances, we are willing to endure tough times and keep up the promise. It plays a significant role in keeping track of our goals and ambitions for life.
It is very important to consider the fact that commitments can restrict our freedom to engage in other activities. The true value of the commitment lies in our ability to keep up with the promise made. Therefore, we should never over-commit to an extent that our commitments conflict with each other.
When we over-commit, we might have to make such choices on a daily basis which can cause strain between many commitments and can be a major source of stress. It is important to take into consideration our ability to meet commitments before making them for long-term success.
Before committing to something new, we must take some time to reflect upon the implications, so that if we promise something we can perform to the best of our abilities. It’s much better for us and our reputation to do a few things exceedingly well, than a lot of things in a mediocre way!
“It is better to under promise and over deliver than vice versa. For this one need not break the law of the land.” – N. R. Narayana Murthy
