Commit to Win: How to Harness the Four Elements of Commitment to Reach Your Goals

by Heidi Reeder

Anyone who’s ever given up on a New Year’s resolution Willpower eventually runs out. Whether the goal is personal or professional, the factor that really determines success is an individual’s commitment level. Heidi Reeder, PhD, is a highly regarded communication expert with a slew of high-level clients. In Commit to Win , she unpacks forty years of research by psychologists and economists to show how commitment boils down to just four Treasures, Troubles, Contributions, and Choices. Showing how to harness these elements—and providing practical examples and action plans—Reeder gives everyone the tools to stop wishing—and start achieving.

Genres: Psychology, Self Help, Business, Nonfiction

256 pages, Paperback

First published May 15, 2014

Reviews

[Mathew · Rating 5 out of 5]

I appreciated this book a lot, and definitely took away tangible things after reading it. The writer obviously understands the subject material, and did a great job of assembling it into a logical structure. The formula presented is very smart, and an accessible way to look at why our motivations or commitment may be faltering, what contributes to that, and how to address it.

In addition to helping us understand why commitment wanes, there are approaches we are given to further explore what's taking place, what's causing the commitment to suffer, and how to improve commitment if you so wish, or in other cases how to go about starting the process of moving on.

I found this book to be useful both on a personal/relationship level, but also from a business/professional perspective too. It can help people understand their own motivations why they are changing, and it could also be helpful for someone trying to retain staff or understand the motivations of their employees.

Thanks to the author. This was a great read and a book I'll review again and again over time. The concept I've already started using as it lends itself to all kinds of scenarios.

[Karen JEC · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good advice overall, worth a read. I listened to the audiobook which had a nice even tone and volume. She's framing a lot of "common sense" together with "how to be a better human".

Favourite quotes:

"Promise is the potential start of something, commitment is an attachment to a goal that shows up in action. (Understand this difference.)"

"If you are interested in assisting others to higher commitment, identify ways to manage or minimize the troubles they experience."

"The negative impacts people more than the positive at a rate of five to one. Provide as many positive experiences as you can to balance out the inevitable negatives. Discover the one thing that is particularly troubling to others and remove it."

"He who is not contented with what he has, would not be contented with what he would like to have." ~ Socrates

[Saif Al-Saffar · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book discusses a very important aspect to achieve your goals and also directing your life in the right way which is commitment. The writer explains what's a commitment, what is commitment equation, and how to realize what are you committed to and how to control it?
it's a very useful book that would help you to have some self-awareness and re-allign your commitments to the right activities, job or relationship
I truly recommend it and it has an action plan that would help you to control or change your commitment.
Grap a copy and you find an interesting content and you won't regret it

[Jef · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book if you want to understand the reasons behind why you do or don't do something.

Once you understand this you can then change or have greater influence on your behaviours, attitudes, habits etc.

[Kelvin Simms · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent response for understanding what commitment is and what drives it. Reeder provides steps for strengthening commitment to things we want to be more committed to and, perhaps more importantly, steps for reducing our commitment to things we need to walk away from.

[Ruth Baidya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Showed how commitment is not an All or Nothing phenomenon. Motivation is not enduring. Influence of early life attachments on ability to commit.

[Melanie Josephine · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you want to know more about commitment- this is your book! It´s very well researched. I saw Heidis Ted talk and that inspired me to read the book.

[Alagappan AL · Rating 4 out of 5]

Worth a read! Good suggestions overall!

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full of insight and social science, it helps us figure out why we do what we do and how to improve our tactics and perspective in order to reach our goals and to help others do the same.

[Irene Conlan · Rating 5 out of 5]

You might think as you look at the title, Commit to Win:How to Harness the Four Elements of Commitment to Reach Your Goals, is another boring "how to" book that never gets down to the nitty-gritty and is filled with meaningless jargon that makes you nod off now and then.

It is anything but that.

It is meaningful. Up-to-date. Helpful. It is written in a way that doesn't talk down to you, doesn't talk over your head and doesn't use anybody's jargon. Reeder engages you right away and you feel as if the book was written just for you.

It was.

The book is about commitment and it is a "where the rubber meets the road" book that helps you look at your own levels of commitment to your relationships, your job, and yourself. It offers clear guidelines and gives great examples that make it real.

Divided into three sections it discusses the power of commitment, the elements of commitment and engaging the commitment equation. This last section "invites" you to develop a plan for one of your own commitment goals and takes you through it step by step. It is superbly done. In my opinion this one section alone is worth the price of the book.
Who should read this book? Anyone who is struggling in a relationship or wants to build a lasting committed relationship with another person. Those who do relationship or career counseling or coaching. Actually, unless you have a 100% commitment to your partner and/or your job/career, this book can be helpful for you.

[Diana Nagy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been wanting to read this book for over a year and from the first page, I realized it was going to benefit me in more ways than one. I found so much valuable information contained within these pages that focused mainly on commitment and the main reasons for doing so. I am committed to my goals and to everything that I have visualized for my future and realize that committing to win and taking action on those commitments are the ways to get those goals accomplished and to see my visions become reality. There are four elements of commitment that are required in order to reach your goals and Heidi Reeder discusses each one throughout the pages. At the end of the book, you're asked specific questions that will enable you to create an action plan that will help you get started on achieving your goals. It has you reflect on why you aren't taking action and how you can become more committed to that which you want to achieve in your life. Its a must read that you can't miss out on. It will help you achieve your goals...no ifs, ands or buts!!!

[Jacob Fure · Rating 5 out of 5]

AWESOME BOOK!

This book helped me make some hard decisions in life. It really made me think deeply about where I needed to spend my energy to create the results that I wanted. In general, it really solidified the importance of being committed and what kind results comes from it.

I should read this again sometime

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great, practical read with broad applicability to professional and personal relationships.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

A terrific, fast-paced book that brings clarity to what can feel complicated.

[Chi0 · Rating 5 out of 5]

It helped me to understand the elements of commitment that I never got to focus on. it's very useful for any kind of commitment, personal goals, having a job or a relationship.

[Sudhir Bharadhwaj · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superb book on Commitment! We often think that this a trait and can only be influenced to some extent. Heidi outlines a structured process of commitment and makes us think harder on what drives commitment. Commit yourself to reading this book and you will definitely emerge enriched with a nuanced understanding of this human behavior.