Chickens And Pigs Help Define Two Things We Need For Success

This article is about involvement and commitment, two of the
things we need to be successful. This applies to our jobs or
businesses, relationships, and even our recreational pursuits.
Any type of success, whether it is personal, professional,
academic, or athletic, will usually require a combination of
involvement and commitment.

I hope the headline stirred your interest. Here is how chickens,
pigs, and even cows, can help define involvement and commitment.
Think about a meal consisting of eggs and ham and consider the
contributions made by a chicken and a pig. A chicken provided the
eggs and a pig provided the ham. It can be said the chicken was
involved, because the chicken continues to live as it lays more
eggs. It can be said the pig was committed, because the pig gave
its all to provide the ham and other pork products.

The same principle can be applied to two cows and a cheeseburger.
The cow that provided the milk to be processed into cheese was
involved, while the cow that provided the beef for the hamburger
patty was committed.

It is not my intention to make light of animals that lose their
life to provide food for humans, nor to offend anyone that does
not eat beef or pork for religious or dietary reasons. These
examples simply illustrate that being involved may mean being a
participant with little or no effort, while being committed takes
time and energy, and means much more than just being involved.

Consider a recreational activity, such as a game of chess, or a
softball game. You can be involved by just playing the game, no
matter how good you are. However, to really be successful, to win
more than you lose, you must have made a commitment at some point
in your life. For chess, it means taking the time to understand
the game and study winning strategies. For softball, it means at
some point you practiced hitting and throwing a ball. There are a
few fortunate people with a large degree of natural ability to do
certain things, but most of us need to work at it.

Most of us have made some commitments for which we put forth a
small effort on a regular basis. For example, things like taking
a bath/shower and brushing our teeth are often taken for granted.
However, those things can be thought of as a commitment to good
grooming and proper hygiene.

Marriage definitely takes involvement and commitment. You can be
involved just by signing a marriage license and saying some vows.
For the marriage to be a lasting success, it takes a commitment
from both people. It means working together toward shared goals,
communicating with each other, and resolving the occasional
conflicts that may happen. It may take a little effort, but the
personal rewards are well worth it.

A commitment isn't something to fear, nor does it mean that your
entire life must revolve around the commitment. You simply direct
some time and effort toward accomplishing your goal. You may have
several goals in your personal and professional life. Things such
as striving for a promotion, improving your golf game, losing
that extra twenty pounds, and being a better spouse or parent are
examples of worthy goals. It takes a commitment of both time and
effort to reach each milestone.

Involvement and commitment are also important when it comes to
business opportunities; especially network marketing (MLM). You
need to put forth some effort to really make things happen, no
matter how much hype you hear about your downline being built for
you. When you look at an opportunity, try to find out the level
of commitment that is needed to reach a desired level of success.

People who are successful in their chosen endeavors agree that we
can all get more out of life when a little bit of involvement and
commitment is applied to the things we consider to be important.

Start making improvements today by deciding which things are most
important to you and make a commitment to do those things better.
Often, just a little more effort will produce tremendous results.