One Track. One Standard. One Commitment.

One Track. One Standard. One Commitment.

In my morning reflection I kept thinking about what it means to commit to the best version of myself. I imagine a train riding along a single track. Most trains come to a fork where the lever can be pulled to switch directions. Most people live that way. They keep options open. They drift from track to track. They want progress without choosing a direction. They want results without choosing an identity.

But when you decide who you want to be and who you can be the track becomes clear. Your identity creates the direction. Your purpose provides peace. Your goals shape the challenges ahead. You stop wandering and you stop negotiating with your old habits. You know your lane. You stay in it. You choose definiteness instead of emotional preference.

It reminds me of the father and son at breakfast. The son was learning the difference between commitment and contribution. He looked at his plate and the father explained it simply. The chicken made a contribution by giving an egg. The pig made a commitment by giving everything. Commitment is all in. Contribution is part way in. And that is the truth about life. You cannot be committed if you still keep other options alive. You cannot grow if every step is negotiable.

Commitment is the willingness to burn the ships so there is no turning back. It is a one track mind that moves toward mastery. When I inhale and set my mind I can exhale and remember that I am building the person I was created to be. That means controlling my environment so it supports my identity. If I want to eat clean I remove the junk food. If I want to train I keep the weights where I can see them. If something distracts me I move it out of sight. Environment matters. Time matters. Urgency matters.

Everyone gets twenty four hours. Champions simply use them differently. They stack small wins. They build habits. They allow the compound effect to work. It is like the stone cutter who strikes the rock ninety nine times with no crack. On the one hundredth strike the rock splits. It was not the last strike that did it. It was the ninety nine before it. Small wins lead to big breakthroughs.

I see it in Bella Love as she grows. A little study. A little reading. A little strength work. A little bowling. Small steps repeated daily. I see it in Barbi as she commits herself to serving her family and everyone around her. Commitment changes the way you move through life.

Commitment also requires boundaries. It requires integrity. It requires the courage to protect your soul and protect the work God is doing in you. When you refuse to conform to the expectations of others you reclaim your self worth. You live by your own standards. You live from the truth inside you. That is freedom.

Sometimes commitment means you walk alone for a season. You break traditions. You break molds. You break the patterns that once held you back. But when you commit and stay definite about who you are becoming everything begins to align.

Commitment is the cost. Integrity is the anchor. And living by your own standards even when it costs you comfort is what separates vision from reality and dreamers from doers.