Jeff: “What are your goals? What are you trying to do?”Todd: “I would like to lose 20 lbs.”Jeff: “You don’t need to come into the gym for that. I can help you do that with your fork. It’ all about discipline. You must decide, commit and then act”.

You must commit.

Commitment is the glue to the process of change. Why? Because any real change is difficult. Roadblocks and detours are inevitable. You must be committed to getting through them.

What does it mean to commit?

I call it the “burning your boats” mentality, (based on the story of an Indian chief who takes his tribe to battle. As they travel across the river and reach the shore to enter the battle, he sets the boats on fire. Burning the boats is a metaphor for “no turning back.”

The Indian Chief knew that if there was a possibility of “turning around” that his warriors would enter the battlefield with doubt. Doubt is that voice in the back of your head that says “if it doesn’t work out, I can always turn around and go back.” Having a safety net is destructive to change.

Change takes a full commitment attitude.

Commitment believes in yourself, knowing that you can and will do what it takes. Just ask Moe who said:

“Growth is where you find it. Success begins in a fellow will. It’s all in the state of mind. You’ve got to think high to rise. You’ve got to feel sure of yourself before you win a prize. The man who wins is the man who thinks he can”.

He also said:

“Man may lie, steal and cheat for gain, but that will never gain a golf swing. To gain a golf swing you must work. It works without toil. It’s intoxication without the hangover. It’s stimulation without the pills. It is humbling. It enriches the spirit. It is dignity. It rejects heroics. Its price is high. Its rewards are richer. It’s a buffer for the stresses of today’s living. It cleanses the mind and rejuvenates the body. For those of us who truly know it, golf is true happiness.”

Intoxication without the hangover is humbling but enriching. It cleanses and rejuvenates. I love these words about building a golf swing. It makes me feel that there is a payoff – a reward for my efforts. But the prize isn’t a trophy or accolades. The prize is something that I carry with me. It’s internal.

I believe that Moe felt this way about his golf swing accomplishment. I believe this is why he didn’t play on the PGA Tour. I think that deep inside Moe he felt end-rich-end and dignified. He was fulfilled – which is what all of us wants.  What else did he need?

Moe also knew that the paid the price. He knew that Commitment is a promise to yourself which means you are willing to pay the price.

Of course, there is a price to pay. If you want to get a golf swing, you must put in some effort. Is the question being you going to do it? When I asked Moe why he chose to teach me, he said: “Because you wanted it, others didn’t.”

So my question for you is “Do you want it?”

It’s a simple question with profound implications. I see students every day who say they want it but don’t act as if they do. Of course, everyone wants to be better at golf but do they don’t practice or put in the effort.

Less than 5% of people who purchase my best-selling The Single Plane Solution Video (we’ve sold over 80,000 copies) have never watched the entire video. These prove that we often say we want it and we pay money to try to buy it – but we don’t follow through.

Follow-through is the key. Promises are empty without follow through.

When is a good time to commit to growth? The time is now:

“Everybody who’s got a hundred dollars in their pocket, what are they thinking? Hope it doesn’t go to 99. What’s a smart person thinking? 102, 104, 106, how to make it more. Winners look up, losers look down.” – Moe Norman

Is it time for you to commit to being a winner? I’m not talking about beating an opponent. I’m talking about becoming a better you. A win for yourself. If that doesn’t motivate you then find someone you can be better for. Let me give you what I call – 95 looking back.

If I live to 95, I want to look back at my life and say “I didn’t waste the gift of life. I did my best. I gave it my all. I endured. I didn’t give up. I went for it. I lived.”