Commitment is a pledge

Moral and ethical living is expected of all human beings at every step of life, at all times. Speaking truth and following the path of righteousness are the ingredients for peace and happiness. Making a commitment involves dedicating yourself to something like a person or a cause. Before you make a commitment, think carefully.

A commitment obligates you to do something

Some commitments are large like marriage. In this sacred institution the partners are committed to each other. Eachchose the other and devote himself or herself to their friendship. Unless both partners are united in purpose, dedication and loyalty you will not succeed to the extent you otherwise could.

In commitment it is always 'Yes' and 'Yes'. There is no room for NO. Commitment is loyalty, commitment is reliability, commitment is devotedness, commitment is not quitting when it is getting boring, challenging or discouraging. It is an agreement or a pledge to do something in the future: like to improve conditions, an engagement to assume a financial obligation to future date or commitment of troops at war. The soldiers at any cost will defend the mother land and protect its people by sacrificing their lives. No compromise in that. There are two types of people. First type is of those who wish and yearn.

Second type is of those who wish, commit and achieve

Your level of success and your desire to possess that magical word 'achievement' depends totally on your commitment. Most people stop after wishing and some go further to go through the pain to commit to their dreams. That is where their success puts a full stop for them. Secondly success has no short cuts. You have to take the long grueling road to reach success. It needs persuasion, dedication and commitment to get it through hardships. Recognising your strengths, believing in yourself and in your abilities that you will be successful in future is the most important aspect and trust to achieve something. Reiterate them to yourself and give a guarantee to yourself. Your low esteem, under estimating yourself does more harm than good.

Honest commitment to yourself is the first step to go up the ladder. To achieve your goal step wise, one at a time, an action plan to achieve success need to be chalked out. Keep in mind both big and small goals. Reaching your goal with devotion and concentration with blinkers on to avoid distraction like the Pandava Prince Arjuna is most important. Don't give excuses to yourself to escape from the work. Tune and train yourself mentally and physically.

Customize and modify your action plan to fit the availability of your resources like time, needs and strengths. Don't be casual or over ambitious. Be natural and realistic. Keep the motto in mind 'commitment is a promise to myself to change and challenge myself'.

Learning is a lifelong process. Be always ready to learn from everybody, anybody and from your failures. Be flexible and positive while accepting suggestions. Change is a must for success and stability in life. A bicycle is balanced only when it's constantly in momentum. In the process of your commitment to success learn to say 'NO' firmly to yourself. Saying no to your wishes needs a lot of courage and strength. Never forget that there is light at the end of the tunnel. Reaching the point of success is very important. This does not mean being unethical and dishonest to yourself. Dharma Raj in The Mahabharata was committed to honesty and to uphold dharma. He was tricked into gambling away his throne, his brothers and his wife too. He was time and again blamed and taunted by Draupadi and Bheema for their fate and hardships. But Yudhisthira was happy with his inner self and at peace. He knew misfortune is part of life. He was strong because he was committed to honesty and truthfulness inspite of knowing that he was tricked and cheated.

Karnais a tragic hero in The Mahabharata, in a manner similar toAristotle's literary category of, 'The Flawed Good Man'. He was pious, compassionate and eager in generosityto help anyone in need, thoughtful and dharmic in critical moments of the epic. He shall betray no one, remain loyal to those who love him. He is lauded as Satpurush, a true honest good manand best among those who understand and committed to dharma. For him DAAN to which he was committed and standing high on moral grounds was more important than his own life. In the Epic, The Ramayana every character was committed to the commitments of others either directly or indirectly.