To me, commitment is the choice to walk the walk; the decision to own the talk. Conviction, then, is the development of an unshakable belief in the walk, while forging (or tapping into) a deeper resilience along the way.
What brings it all together is the act of pursuing, and the inherent momentum of creation. Start right where you are. It is, and there is only, ever, now.
Commit to building a life around who you are.
There will be times of rebuilding. There will be new bridges to cross, and perhaps old bridges to burn. Commitments will be tested, stretched, broken, destroyed and remade—a little different, just as you are always… a little different.
The greatest challenges will always be in rebuilding conviction—when trust is lost, or when the old, small story hurts more to hold on to than to let go. These reframing events are predictably uneasy and can shake us to the core. But that’s the point; you can’t bring forth and embody a greater identity, a greater vision, within the now unfamiliar, discarded shell.
For a time, you may slip into aspects of your old habits, but that will be like putting on a stranger’s shoes, or a pair of worn out socks. You aren’t that person anymore.
Take a breath. Reassess. Listen. Don’t just bulldoze through. Find your music again. It’s always there, just beyond the noisy world.
Solvitur ambulando