I have been thinking about this word, chewing on it, and pondering the meaning behind it. What I have determined about the word dedication is that it is a multifaceted, multi-layered, powerful word. The wikipedia definition of dedication is this; the quality of being dedicated or committed to a task or purpose. Reading more about it, I came across this description, " The price of success is handwork, dedication to the joy or goal at hand and the determination in knowing that whether you win or lose, succeed or fail, you have given it all that you got."
My question to all of us is this. What goals do you have for yourself? For your life? Is it to be a good wife, a good mother, friend? Is it to be physically fit, emotionally fit, spiritually fit? Is it to set a good example for your kids? To eat better, go to church more etc. Where is your focus?
Feelings come and go; they change like the wind. There will always be days that you dont feel like showing up, that you dont feel like going to the gym, eating clean, being a good friend, or even being a mom. We all have those days where we feel so tired and exhausted, so beat down from the days, from the expectations we carry from ourselves and from others that we feel like we just dont have the energy to be or do any of those things. However, it is a choice.
So here's the deal. Your 'willing to' has to be greater than your 'want to'. What are you willing to do to become who you want to be? Where are you willing to go to get where you have never been? These are important questions to ask yourself. If you don't have these basic goals or desires set in your mind and in your heart, then there's no real vision or purpose, and therefore, the dedication won't be there.
So much of life is simply about showing up. It's about the sailing showing up and putting forth the effort and handwork into those goals that you have set because no one else is going to do it for you. One of the reasons people resist change so much is because we tend to focus on what we have to give up versus what we have to gain. I do it too!
The thing to remember is this. There's a difference between interest and commitment. When you're interested in something, you do it when its convenient for you. When you are committed and dedicated, despite how you feel, you accept no excuses. Dedication doesn't have an 'off season'. Dedication is a daily devotion to improving yourself because, as mentioned above, no one else will do it for you. So what are you willing to do to get where you want to be? To become who you want to become? It takes hard work, effort, and dedication.