Jack Canfield argues that 100% commitment with no exceptions is what separates success from failure. He uses examples like surgeons and heartbeats to show how even 1% uncommitted erodes discipline, and tells a story about Sid Simon to prove the point. His homework: pick one goal and commit fully, no matter what.
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Hi there. I'm Jack Canfield, and today I want to tell you why. The secret to success is making a 100% commitment to everything you do. Now, in every aspect of life, if something is worth doing, it's worth giving 100% of your effort to it, because the 99% commitment isn't going to cut it. Having any leeway at all in your conviction is inevitably going to lead to frustration, failure, and disappointment. Now, why is it that a 100% commitment is the key to success, while even a 99% commitment is a recipe for failure? Is there really that drastic a difference between a person who is 100% committed and someone who is 99% committed? Well, the answer is yes. There's a huge difference. You see, there's no gray area when it comes to commitment. Either you're fully committed or you're not. When a person is 100% committed, they are unwavering. They aren't going to let anything get in between them and their commitment. But a person who's only 99% committed always leaves an open window, however small, for their convictions to falter. And given enough time, the convictions of someone who isn't 100% committed almost always does falter. Now, that's why I always say 99%'s a bitch, but 100%'s a breeze. Because it's so much easier to aim for a 100% track record than it is to aim for 99% and manage to hit your goal. To understand the huge difference between fully committing to something and committing even a fraction less than 100%, imagine if surgeons were only 99.9% committed to performing the right surgery. That would mean that over 500 incorrect surgeries will be performed each week. Or imagine if your heart was only committed to beating 99.9. Think of that. 99.9% of the time. That would mean it would fail 32,000 times a year. So, as you can see, there's no room to give when it comes to commitment. Either something is worth 100% of your effort, or it's not worth your effort at all. There's no in between if you want to guarantee your success. Sid Simon, who was one of my mentors, is a great example of this. Now, in order to maintain his healthy eating habits, he decided that he would only eat ice cream on the day of the month when there was a full moon. He is 100% committed to this conviction, and. And everyone who knows him well is totally aware of this. When more than 100 of his friends and family gathered to celebrate his 75th birthday. We knew he probably wasn't going to eat the ice cream and the cake that was being served that day because it wasn't a full moon that day. Now, we did all kinds of things to try to make him make an exception to his rule. Just that one time we bought a huge cardboard cutout of a full moon covered with aluminum foil, and a few of the women even dressed up as moon goddesses. And. And we gave him a very easy way out of his commitment. But he still refused to eat any ice cream that day. There was no way he was going to break the commitment he had made to himself. He knew that once he made one exception, it would be easier to make the next one. And that's how he operates in all areas of his life. And it's why he has been able to achieve so much success over the years. Now, following the no exceptions rule is the only way to ensure that you're really 100% committed to something. For example, if you're 100% committed to taking a 20 minute walk every day without exception, you will do whatever it takes to make sure it happens. Now, if an unexpected appointment prevents you from taking your walk at your regular time, you will adjust your schedule so you can walk at a different time, even if it's up and down in the stairwell of your hotel late at night. If you are 100% committed to completing a big project by a specific deadline, you will do whatever it takes, including staying up late and canceling social agreements to make sure it happens, not only will your do whatever it takes attitude ensure you actually hit your goals, it demonstrates your level of commitment and determination to others. And that will result in greater trust and respect and more opportunities flowing your way. But if you allow for one exception and tell yourself, well, it's okay if I skip my workout today just once, or it won't matter if I miss this one deadline, it won't be long before you find yourself skipping another workout or missing another deadline until your 100% commitment has devolved to barely any conviction at all. Now, this is true for relationships as well. I cannot stress enough how important it is for people to give 100% in their relationships. You know, many people view a relationship as a 5050 agreement. You're responsible for 50% of the work and I'll do 50% of the work. You give 50% of your effort and I'll give 50% of mine. However, successful relationships are not a 5050 agreement at all. They're a 100% 100% agreement both you and your partner should be giving 100% of your effort every single day now. Working to make them happy and keeping the relationship Strong should receive 100% of your attention and they should be prepared to do the same for you. If you do this, there will never be any resentment or concern that one of you isn't doing your part in the relationship because you'll both be giving it your all each and every day. And think about this. How would you like to be married to someone who's only 99% committed to monogamy? You'd be wondering every day is this the day that 1% is going to show up? Not good. Now best of all, if you are both 100% committed, you'll both be happier for it. It's an amazing feeling to know that someone else is 100% committed to you and to know that you are 100% committed to them. It's the key to all successful relationships. Now here's your homework to complete. After watching this video, think about something important in your life that you want to accomplish but you aren't 100% committed to. Then make the decision right now, today to fully commit yourself to that goal and and to do whatever it takes to achieve it. Now. If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below. I'd love to read them. And thanks so much for watching. And remember, nothing in your life will change for the better until you do. Now, if you found this video helpful, make sure you like it, share it with a friend who may need it, and subscribe to my channel for more videos like this one. And for some additional resources on giving 100% to everything you do, visit my website at jackhamfield. Com. Thanks again for watching.
