The movie Grease is known to everyone in Generation X. If you are a Baby Boomer, think West Side Story; if you are a Millennial, think High School Musical. If you are into Shakespeare, think of Romeo and Juliet. They all have the same plot but with different songs and characters’ names.
Lately, I have been thinking about the song “Hopelessly Devoted to You.”
Earlier this year, I decided to simplify my life and build more margin. I wanted to avoid being so pressed for time and energy because of my commitments. The way to do that was to commit to less. It meant ensuring I didn’t overpack my schedule with back-to-back travel arrangements and clearing my schedule of endless meetings.
I canceled a couple of trips for fishing and golf instead of trying to figure out how to work my business meetings around them. I am leaving a committee I have served on since the 1990s.
My decision to have more time was not about sitting at home and doing nothing. I didn’t change my personality; I just made room for more spontaneity in my life.
But it takes time to see the fruits of my effort. Why? Because I am what you might consider as hopelessly devoted. This term, ‘hopelessly devoted, ‘is not about being trapped or helpless but about being deeply committed and dedicated to a cause or a person.
For me, commitment and accountability are not just words; they are principles I live by. If I say I will do something, I do it. If I join a committee for a year, I serve the entire year. I show up when I say I will.
Recently, one of the committees I serve on had to establish rules for eliminating people who attend less than 75% of the monthly meetings.
Another club I am part of regularly has people sign up for events and then not show up, leaving out people on a waiting list set up for the specific reason of coming when others can’t make it. It’s rude and inconsiderate.
It happens at work as well. People who say they will do something and don’t often give an excuse when they fail to live up to a commitment. Talk about hopeless. When these things come up, I want to say to the person, “Not only did you not do what you said you would do, but now you are blaming somebody else or something else instead of living up to your commitment.”
Once a person commits to fulfilling their commitment, the world changes. When asked to do something different, they respectfully say, “I can get to that when I finish this.” Doing so reinforces the idea that you are trustworthy. You essentially say, “I am committed to doing that when I finish this commitment.” You are doubling down on the fact that you are trustworthy and live up to your commitments.
Recently, at a regionwide company meeting, we asked people for ideas on setting a company theme for next year. Many of the ideas were about this topic: a room full of people asking each other to finish what they started and live up to their commitments, people telling each other they didn’t want to be cleaning up after other people’s messes.
Please don’t get the wrong impression; I think the people at Willmar Electric are excellent in this area. When somebody says they will take care of something, they take care of it. But the group wasn’t happy with most of the time. They want it all the time. 99% isn’t good enough.
Hooray for them (us). It’s fun to be in a place with people who are hopelessly devoted to each other. It’s treating others the way you want to be treated.