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FeedJANUARY 2010: metroSPIRIT
Meta-Commitments: Commitments at the Soul Level
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January again! Another New Year! Last year at this time, I wrote about making resolutions into reality. I am extremely happy to report that I have witnessed several success stories this past year. Those success stories, and the belief that we can all have one, are among the reasons that I show up at the gym, write these articles, and practice yoga.
If your resolutions did not become reality this past year, continue the journey in 2010. It does not matter how many times we fall. It only matters how many times we get up again. That saying used to make me angry. Now I am grateful for having heard it so many times. One of my spiritual mentors constantly make statements of that nature. She is right. We must get up as many times as it takes.
the moment you commit yourself to it."
~ Mack R. Douglas
Shortly, after last years January issue was published, I read an article by Sally Kempton in Yoga Journal on the topic of meta-commitments. The concept of meta-commitments comports totally with how to make New Years Resolutions a reality.
What is a meta-commitment?
There is a nearly magical connection between commitment and breakthrough. Once you have definitely decided, the universe moves too. Your hidden powers, your underground streams of creativity, and your previously untapped capacities for love get activated when you decide that something or someone is important enough to inspire you to hang in there. Sally Kempton
We live in a society of short-term gratification. Being committed to health in the long-run is often compromised by the extra glass of wine, the second helping of a rich dessert, or the television show that interferes with the trip to the gym. The excitement of a new friend or a new relationship may seem more interesting than the challenges of achieving continued satisfaction in a long-term relationship. The latest electronic gadget may seem more interesting than increasing the savings account, which might keep us stuck in a job that does not make sense anymore on our lifes journey.
A meta commitment is a commitment at the soul level. It is a wholehearted life defining commitment. It is a commitment to show up for a person, for yourself, for a long-desired goal (such as writing a book), or for a personal wellness plan, even when you are not in the mood and regardless of how things are going. When you make a meta commitment, you just show up.
A meta commitment is a fundamental life theme that reflects itself in all of your relationships, in your career, in your spiritual life, and in your hobbies. Some examples are: to live a life of service; to be kind in all circumstances; to give to the community; to live with integrity no matter what. One of my personal meta-commitments is to take total and absolute care of and responsibility for my physical, emotional, and spiritual health no matter what.
