Commitments are important contracts.

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They let people know what to expect.

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The most important commitments are the ones we make to ourselves.

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Yet we can sometimes fall into a trap.

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Our commitments are meant to support us.

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To give us direction and let us know where to point our energy.

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The danger lies in setting a commitment in stone.

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Of course we should not let go of our commitments too easily.

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If we do, those around us will feel like they can't trust us.

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People will feel that our words will cannot be taken seriously.

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So we might think more carefully before entering into any commitments.

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If we have, then we can be present to how the commitment feels to us.

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For that might shift half way through.

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Perhaps we really were committed to the project when we started.

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Maybe we even worked hard at it for a period of time.

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But a point can come when the commitment changes from some to honor to a burden.

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For when we lose the energy or the drive to stay engaged in the commitment, it can start to feel heavy and restrictive.

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That is when we can look at the commitment again and decide if we wat to re-commit to it, or release it.

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A commitment should not be a jail sentence.

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Commitments should support us and allow us to flourish.

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Yet the stories we tell ourselves about our commitments can turn them from something wonderful to a leash that we pull against.

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Knowing when to leave a commitment and when to stay can be tricky.

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For we have to look at all the implications of staying or going seriously.

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Can we find a way to turn what now feels like a heavy load into something new and fresh?

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Perhaps it doesn't have to be either or.

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Maybe we can find that delicate balance between staying and going.

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One thing is for certain, if the commitment is no longer serving us we need to re-evaluate it.

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To at least consider letting it go or not.

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For if we are open to the idea that we can drop a commitment that might no longer be serving us, it might just give us the space to feel better about it.

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Just giving room for the possibility of letting it go might give us the necessary space to look at it in a new light that it no longer feels so heavy.

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The end result should be that our commitments are joys in our life, not obligations or prison sentences.

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And that way we will be more committed than ever!

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So are there commitments in your life that you want to re-examine?

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~ Sam Liebowitz, The Conscious Consultant

Host of The Conscious Consultant Hour