We all want something.

But how many of us get what we want?

Why not?

The reason people don’t create the result they want it is because they WANT it, but they aren’t committed to getting it. There is a big difference between WANTING and COMMITTING.

So let’s explore this a little.

Wanting is passive. It requires no action. It’s familiar. It’s safe. It’s comfortable. It’s risk-free. But wanting does NOT create results.

Committing is active. It requires action. It increases your focus on the result and reduces the chatter in your brain. It is solution-focused. It creates progress toward results. Committing CREATES RESULTS.

I want to lose weight. This is no surprise. I read that 85% of women in America want to lose weight. But if wanting was enough, surely that number would be much lower. We’d lose the weight and be done with it, right?

I pretty much always want to lose weight. But I also want to eat that pizza my spouse brought home. And I also want a soda when I’m having a rotten day. And I also want to enjoy myself at that party. And I also want popcorn at the movie. Just wanting it mostly leaves me still wanting it.

So how do you go from WANTING to COMMITTING?

Here are the 5 steps to making a commitment that will get you results:

1. Decide what you want in your life
2. Be honest about whether you’re really willing and ready to commit.
3. Make the decision to commit. Do it in writing.
4. Honor your commitment until you get your result.
5. Re-evaluate and re-affirm your commitment on a regular basis.

Sounds pretty simple, right? But these steps only work if you actually TAKE ACTION to implement them in your life.

Let me show you what commitment looks like in my life right now. I haven’t actually worked much on weight loss. I’ve been studying all the tools so I can help my clients lose weight. And I’ve applied a lot of them to my eating patterns. But I’ve been totally focused on becoming an amazing coach and building a business.

If I was your coach, I would tell you to pick one goal only and work on that until you achieve it, rather than working on multiple things at once.

Constraint is like magic. It’s amazing how much you can accomplish when you go after a goal like this. And the other areas of our lives always improve anyway because we’re getting better at managing our mind. So I’ve just been wanting to lose weight, without being committed to doing so, on purpose.

I was getting coached on my business and the thought I chose to create the results I want was “It’s time to show myself what I’m capable of.” This thought creates the feeling of committed for me. When I feel committed, I do all the things. And when I do all the things, I create the result I want.

Here’s the crazy part: I wasn’t thinking about weight loss. I was thinking about business. But I made a commitment to show myself what I’m capable of. And wouldn’t you know, I haven’t responded to a single urge all week. And it’s been easy. Really easy.

I’ve still had urges. My husband brought home Dove chocolate tonight for the love of Pete. But I’m committed. Not just to a goal weight. I’m committed to showing myself what I’m capable of. I’m capable of building a business. I’m capable of making as much money as I want to. I’m capable of putting myself out there and failing over and over again. I’m capable of eating only to fuel my body. I’m capable of feeling my emotions rather then eating over them. I’m capable of feeling an urge and not responding to it.

Last week urges were difficult and painful. This week, they just aren’t that big of a deal. The only thing that changed was my commitment.

It’s fascinating.

What do you want? Are you ready and willing to commit? Are you ready to honor that commitment?