One of my favorite authors, Ken Blanchard, wrote, “There is a difference between interest and commitment. When you’re interested in doing something, you do it only when it’s convenient. When you’re committed to something, you accept no excuses, only results.” What a profound concept. How many times in our lives do we say we are committed when we truly are not? If something that we wanted to happen did not happen, and we reexamine our motives and internal thoughts, we might find that we truly were definitely interested in the outcome, but truly not committed.

Any obstacles to knowing the right course of action are within each of us, and so is the right course. Sometimes it seems as though a decision truly hangs in the balance, with such equal values on both sides. You can hear yourself saying, “I was so close to saying no, or yes.” We hold our thumb and forefinger a quarter inch apart. That close may not be close at all; we knew all along what was appropriate. If we let ourselves be still and listen to our inner voice, we usually know what is right for us to do. If we find ourselves faced with a lot of decisions that seem so close apart, maybe we are not acting according to our ideas of what’s right. It might be time to reappraise our values. If we believe one way and act another, we are not being true to SELF.