Don't wait to commit to excellence

Most of us are bound and determined to make a commitment to excellence ...when it stops raining, or gets cooler, or when the sun goes down and the mosquitoes stop biting. Right? Yeah ... right.Our noble intent is to start dieting, stop smoking, clean the closets, or dust under the bed, if not today, tomorrow for sure. And if not tomorrow, at the very latest... when all hell freezes over.Commitment is a funny thing. It's not really complicated. We either start choppin' the wood or we pretend we can't find the ax. It isn't about words, promises, or intentions, it's about actions. With no regard to hell, high water, or when the swallows come back from Capistrano, we just gotta get up, get out of the old recliner, grab that ax, and start choppin'. Right?So ... the next time we find ourselves ready to make a commitment, but a hangnail has us hesitating, we might want to consider the approach Alabama football coach Nick Saban presents in his book How Good Do You Want to Be?Many centuries ago, Roman soldiers attempted to invade the island of England by attacking the cliffs of Dover. Just across the English channel from France, the cliffs served as a close entry point for invading soldiers. But they weren't easy to climb and overtake, especially when they were being defended. For years the Romans tried to take the cliffs, failing and retreating each time. They'd get into their rowboats, which they launched from their ships, row to shore, try to scale the cliffs, only to return in defeat. Finally, a Roman captain made a bold decision. On the next attempt, he ordered the rowboats to be burned on shore. There'd be no means of retreat. The soldiers would either succeed in taking the cliffs, or they'd perish. With no option of failure, they finally succeeded and took the cliffs.Now ... nobody's suggesting joining the Roman army, attacking the cliffs of Dover, or burning down any rowboats. But here's the humble suggestion: The next time you're faced with making a commitment, disregard any rain, fog, sleet, or hail, and don't wait for hell to freeze over or the cows to come home. You and I both know, those cows never seem to come home anyway.If you're really serious about saving money, losing weight, exercising, or looking Mr. Wonderful in the eye to pitch a product on Shark Tank, you gotta row that boat right up to shore, get out, light a match, and burn it down--so to speak. As talk is cheap and promise is cheaper, you have to invest in yourself, believe in yourself, find that ax, swat those mosquitos, and start choppin'. Right?Tony Legando is a lifelong educator, an OHSFCA Hall-of-Fame football coach and motivational speaker who has inspired leaders for many years. You can contact him at legandot@gmail.com.Tony Legando