What True Commitment Looks Like (and Why It Still Matters)
Real-world reflections on staying faithful to what matters most, through change, challenge, and time.
Devin Kleu via Unsplash
May you experience enduring presence and promise.
What True Commitment Looks Like (and Why It Still Matters)
Real-world reflections on staying faithful to what matters most, through change, challenge, and time.
Commitment is a decision.
Yes, a decision. One you make to engage with what matters most each day of your life.
Think about marriage or any long-term relationship. You commit to love and honor this person.
Do you wake up every morning feeling that way? Not likely.
Some days you feel connected and grateful; other days you’re tired, frustrated, or running on autopilot.
Yet what holds the relationship steady isn’t constant passion—it’s commitment.
Commitment carries you through the ordinary days and the difficult ones.
It’s what turns affection into partnership, promises into enduring presence.
Over time, love matures into friendship, trust, and mutual respect—all because you keep showing up for what you chose.
The same is true at work. When you accept a position, you make a commitment to give your best, uphold your word, and add value.
When that promise fades, it’s better to move on than to stay half-heartedly.
Commitment doesn’t mean blind loyalty; it means integrity in action.
We live in a world that prizes options over promises. Projects shift before they finish. People change plans with a text.
Even with ourselves, we start strong—a goal, a new habit, a value we mean to live by—and fade when the initial feeling of excitement and commitment disappears.
But commitment isn’t just about feeling.
It’s about showing up for what (and who) we’ve said matters, long after the spark is gone.
Its presence stretches through time, proof that our values aren’t just ideals but habits of our hearts and lives.
A Story of Commitment in Action
In 2006 and 2007, Bill, my husband, and his team were leading TechSmith through a time of excitement and expansion.
After years of growth, we were ready to bring everyone under one roof, a beautiful, new building designed through months of planning and countless employee input meetings.
Everyone was deeply invested. The local university even envisioned us as the cornerstone of their technology park.
But as the plans neared completion, Bill and I began to feel uneasy.
Concern began to dominate our nightly conversations. We both saw economic clouds gathering on the horizon.
The data pointed toward instability, and our deepest commitment wasn’t to a building—it was to the people who made TechSmith what it was.
Canceling the building project broke our hearts.
Employees were disappointed. Some questioned the decision (and our sanity), and the community didn’t understand.
But we knew, and our team knew, what was at stake.
If we had built that building and the economy had crashed, we would have had to lay off employees, many of whom were young families who had just moved to the area, bought homes, and planted their roots in Lansing.
We couldn’t let that happen.
So we honored our commitment to our employees, to our company, and to the community we cared about. Despite the concern and skepticism it caused.
We didn’t know it at the time, but it turned out to be precisely the right decision. When the economic downturn came, we weathered it without layoffs or broken promises.
Most people only learned about the reasons for that decision years later at the event celebrating Bill’s life.
For me, it’s a story of what genuine commitment looks like: doing what’s right, even when it’s unpopular, and staying faithful to the people and principles that matter most.
How to Practice Commitment Without Rigidity
Commitment doesn’t mean chaining yourself to what no longer serves you. It means staying faithful to what still matters most.
The following are ways to live your commitments without letting them harden into rules.
Remember, commitment is a choice.
With this fundamental knowledge, you can choose what you commit your time and life to with wisdom and clarity.
Clarify what’s worth committing to.
You can’t commit to everything. Choose relationships, causes, and values that align with who you want to be and give them your whole heart.
Honor your word in small ways.
Return the call. Keep the appointment. Finish what you said you’d do. Each follow-through strengthens self-trust and builds credibility with others.
Allow for grace, not perfection.
Commitment doesn’t mean never wavering. It means returning, again and again, to what matters most. It’s why you have decided what matters most.
Recommit when you drift.
Life shifts. So will you. What matters is noticing and saying, “This still matters. I’m here again.” Remind yourself: I chose to love and commit to this person, this job, this cause, or this health improvement.
You can vary your commitments.
You can, but with the understanding that you are altering core values and beliefs you chose when you do. So, changing is a hardcore choice. It requires your deepest thoughts and considerations.
A Closing Reflection
Commitment is the quiet courage to keep showing up.
It’s love that doesn’t quit. Integrity that doesn’t need applause.
When we honor our commitments to people, to principles, to ourselves, we build something steady in a world that changes by the hour.
We create trust that endures.
This week, notice where you’ve stayed the course or where it’s time to recommit.
Even one small act of follow-through rebuilds faith: in yourself, in your relationships, and in the quiet power of promises kept.
Because commitment isn’t about perfection.
It’s about returning, again and again, to what matters most.
Reflection and Resources
Know About Substack Notes? I Hope So. If Not…
Substack Notes is where I share short reflections, reader questions, online resources, and small moments that remind us how values show up in daily life.
You’ll also see Notes I’ve highlighted from other writers whose insights and values align with ValuesCrafting—voices that explore integrity, empathy, presence, and courage in ways worth your time.
To find them, visit my Substack homepage and click “Notes” at the top of the page.
There, you’ll be able to read, reply, or restack any Note that resonates.
Notes are an easy way to stay connected between newsletters. They are quick to read, but designed to make you pause and reflect.
If one touches something in you, I’d love to hear your thoughts. Real conversation makes these spaces come alive.
Your presence here means more than I can say. Thank you for being part of ValuesCrafting. Every time you read, reflect, and put these ideas into practice, you’re helping create a world where values guide actions—and that’s something worth sharing.