This simple thing completely revolutionised my career... twice!

Hello beautiful human

In the journey of life, the words we choose and the energy we move in holds profound significance.

Today I want to illustrate that with the difference between goals and commitments.

In roles relating to HR and leadership, we spend a lot of time supporting people to have goals.

The difference between a goal and a commitment, is our desire and attachment to complete it.

It's the difference between having a goal to walk 10,000 steps a day and being okay if you do or don't do it, and making sure you get up and hit that number of steps.

You see, nearly half of those with admirable intentions to exercise fall short of following through. Goals represent specific, measurable, and time-bound objectives that offer direction and purpose to your actions and choices.

On the other hand, commitments reflect your unwavering dedication and resolve to achieve a goal. Think of goals as a prerequisite to making a commitment.

In simpler terms, a goal is what you want to do, while a commitment is what you must do.

Why it matters

Using clear and specific words can help us actually follow through with what we want to achieve. When we only set goals or intentions, it's easier to find excuses and not do them. But when we make a commitment, we're saying, 'I have to do this.'

I heard this quote from Alice In Wonderland called out in a book the other day (yep, I'm a book listener) and I loved it:

Alice: 'Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?'

The Cheshire Cat: 'That depends a good deal on where you want to get to.'

Alice: 'I don't much care where.'

The Cheshire Cat: 'Then it doesn't much matter which way you go.'

And the Cheshire Cat is right, if you don't know where you want to go, no advice is going to get you there.

One of the hardest things in coaching is helping folks get to the heart of what they really want. Because often it is buried deeply. (PS; need a little help with that? Get in touch!)

But if you want to move towards something, you have to make a commitment to move towards it.

And the best part...? You don't even have to know your goal consciously - I didn't with coaching.

I didn't consciously plan to be a Coach, yet I still signed up for a coaching qualification with the overt goal of 'being a better leader'.

Deep down, I had a goal you see. And I was quietly walking towards it, which was a visible commitment. When we commit, the Universe conspires to get us somewhere. And guess what my main job is today...? Exactly!

But commitment really matters. In so many ways.

After I left agency recruitment, I was a little stuck. I didn’t know what I wanted, but I didn’t feel like it was recruitment. I was always hoping for something better.

Recruitment in those days always felt a bit like a second rate career, a far cry from the phenomenal value adders the world now knows us to be!

I met a friend for coffee (Richard Chipchase), and he said this; ‘What do you want to do?’

And I said; ‘I don’t know honestly.’

He said; ‘The trouble is, recruitment is what you are known for, and whilst you are wandering around, uncommitted to it, that’s what your energy is saying. You need to stick a flag in the ground and claim your skills and experience and see where that leads.’

I took his words to heart. I committed. Whilst I knew that recruitment wasn't my end game per se, that was what I had in front of me so I decided to give it everything.

Just a few months later I was offered the role at Shazam, where I spent almost 5 years build that company and leading Talent, some of the most joyful and liberating times of my career.

Yet again, I made a commitment towards something, even without having an end goal, and the Universe conspired to give me something even better.

But how do I know what to commit to...? We spend a LOT of time figuring this out in Bloom, but for today, let's keep it simple.

How do you want to feel in your career? What would you like to be different? What could you be committing to a little more in your career right now, even if it doesn't feel like your dream role...?

And when you're deciding what to commit to, think about the smallest amount you can do to work toward your goal, even it it is a low key long term hunch. So, if you want to read more, commit to reading for just 10 minutes a day. Start small, and you can always do more if you want to.

So in summary, you don't need to know your specific goals consciously to commit to moving in the direction of them. Keep it simple and commit to the things that matter to you today and see where they lead you.

You've got this!

Big love