January 22, 2023 | Issue #52

1 Quote. 1 Reflection. 1 Question.

1 Quote.

“Without commitment, you cannot have depth in anything, whether it's a relationship, a business or a hobby.”

-From: Neil Strauss

-Source: The Game: Penetrating the Secret Society of Pickup Artists 

1 Reflection.

Regardless of what it is, everyone is afraid of commitment. We ask ourselves questions like:

Is he/she the right one?

Can I see myself doing this for 40 years?

Is this the right house?

Is this university the best for me?

Unfortunately, the list of questions can go on and on for the rest of our lives. However, we shouldn't get stuck on the fact we can't have everything rather we should rejoice. Claire Kamp Dush, a postdoctoral fellow with the Evolving Family Theme Project of the Institute for the Social Sciences at Cornell said "Some commitment appears to be good, but more commitment appears to be even better," 

Although this study is about romantic relationships, I argue it applies to other areas of our life.

Bhutan is one of the happiest countries in the world despite an average salary of just $225 per month. In a country with limited internet access and air travel, the residents must commit to the community, jobs, and land that they have. I am not saying we should be forced into commitment but understand that choice isn't the end all be all. Oftentimes these people are born in the same house and die in the same house. That level of commitment is a folktale in our society today. 

I wanted to talk about commitment this week because today marks 1 year of writing this newsletter for me.

52 Sundays of pressing send. 

52 Sundays of grammar errors and misspellings. 

52 Sundays of searching quotes. 

52 Sundays of finding the correct source. 

52 Sundays of sitting in front of a blank screen. 

This is the process I have committed to. And because of it I have experienced a different kind of happiness and calm that only comes from commitment.

I'm grateful for you, the reader, but I don't write the newsletter for you, I write it because I commit to it, and I hope as a result, you get value from it. 

Ryan Holiday from the Daily Stoic wrote "We must not be owned by our possessions. We must not be enslaved by our success. We must remain indifferent to them.."

This is how I stick to my commitment to writing, being indifferent to success and failure.

Committing to the newsletter has gifted me with insights and knowledge I couldn't anticipate. This week I hope you take some time to think about something you want to commit to. Like most investments, the longer the commitment, the bigger impact it will have.

1 Question.

Commitment requires you to say no to things. What will be the hardest thing to say no to?