Commit to the next level

Curtis Martin said it well in his NFL hall of fame induction speech. There is a big difference between routine and commitment. Some people do the same routine, and after years some even get better at that routine. Some people commit to the next level.

Routines are great for freeing up your mental load. Routines are not hard. We go about our days working to convert things into a routine so we don’t have to make unnecessary decisions doing them. We just do them. President Obama has said that he only uses two suits so he can keep attire decision to a routine and save the mental capacity for making heftier decisions.

Committing to the next level is being uncomfortable with the status quo that comes with routine. It’s about the pursuit of becoming better at something. To do this is to take the routine and break it. Behind any commitments to the next level are the manners, methods, and motivations that will ultimately determine the scale of achievement.

We have a choice to make. What are we going to keep as routine in our lives, and what are we going to commit to the next level?