Hello Misfit Nation! Welcome to another edition of "Lessons for Hannah!" Many years ago, I introduced a new format that alongside our regular episodes called “Lessons for Hannah.” Hannah is my daughter and one of the main inspirations for the Misfit Entrepreneur. I wanted to have a place where she could go and learn from her daddy and his Misfit friends throughout her life….even after I am gone. If you haven’t listened to the first episode of "Lessons for Hannah," I urge you to as it gives some more background and tells the amazing story of how Hannah came to be in our lives.
Lessons for Hannah are short, very useful, and sometimes comical lessons, that I want to share with you and give to Hannah to help in your lives. Because I want Hannah to have these for her life, I’m going to speak as though I am talking directly to her. These episodes are a lot of fun and if you think there is a lesson that we should include in these episodes, please don’t hesitate to send it over to us at support@misfitentrepreneur.com. We’d love to share it.
This week’s Lesson for Hannah
Hannah, I want to talk to you about commitment. The definition of commitment states that it is the “state or quality of being dedicated to a cause, activity, etc.” What does that mean? Commitment is a word thrown around a lot and you will hear it all throughout your life. I don’t think people take the word and what it means seriously enough.
People say all the time that they are committed to things but give up on them. People commit to doing things for themselves or others, but don’t follow through. To me, commitment is something truly special. To commit to something means that you will do whatever it takes to fulfill the commitment and not give up until it is complete. To commit means that you have taken the time to think through what you are committing to and are choosing to move forward knowing and being prepared for what may happen on the journey. You are deciding that you are willing to go through all the challenges, hard times, and setbacks that could happen on your path to fulfilling the commitment. You also get to enjoy the good times of the journey as well.
A great of example of commitment is marriage. And marriage is one of those commitments that, sadly, many people break.
Marriage is incredible. To find the one person you are meant to be with and commit to them for the rest of your life is a serious and exciting experience. But too many people enter it without taking the time to understand what the commitment of marriage really means. I fact, Jesus spoke a lot about marriage, but I think he really understood what commitment meant in marriage when he said, “The two will become one. So, they are no longer two but one. Let no man divide what God has put together.”
Let no man divide what God has put together. If you believe like I do that things happen as they are supposed to, guided by a divine hand, then when you find the one you will marry and commit to, God has put you together. And because God has put you together, you should not divide it.
Now, that does not mean that there aren’t legitimate reasons for a divorce, but there certainly should not be superficial ones.
Marriage like entrepreneurship requires a true commitment and playing the long game. No matter how good a marriage is, it will have tough times. There will be times where each spouse is not happy with the other. That doesn’t mean they don’t love each other; it just means that they are having a challenge with each other at that time. Marriage is compromise, it’s give and take, it’s tough love, it’s standing true. It is the willingness to love someone when sometimes you don’t feel like you want to. It is the willingness to go through the hard times together and be there for each other.
Your mother and I will be celebrating 15 years of marriage this year. I am very excited about it. The average marriage length is sadly about 8 years which means your mother and I will be almost double that. But, it hasn’t been perfect. We are not perfect. There are times where I know I get on mom’s nerves and drive her nuts and of course, she has her moments as well. We will have arguments from time to time but seem to always find ways to work through them together. There are times where it is tough, but I know I can always count on mom to be there for me, and she knows that I will always be there for her. No matter what happens, we are committed. As we said in our vows – til death do us part.
Hannah, what I want you to take away from this is that commitment is something that is a serious choice in our lives and when we commit to something, we must see it through. And if we are not willing to do that, then we should not commit in the first place. I hope that you take this lesson to heart and use it to make better decisions for yourself in life committing to the right things. It is lesson I wish I understood earlier on in life.
I love you,
Daddy
Best Quote: To commit means that you have taken the time to think through what you are committing to and are choosing to move forward knowing and being prepared for what may happen on the journey.
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