Commitment

PowerPoint Definition: Commitment requires an intrinsic passion, energy, and purposeful investment towards action. Follow-through and willing involvement through commitment lead to positive social change.

My Definition: Commitment is the ability to be loyal to a group or organization and stay with them over a long period of time. It's a long term or fixed term contract where you are constantly contributing for the good of the group.

So What? My experiences... I first learned what commitment was back in third grade. I went to an IB elementary school and one of the PYP (Primary Years Programme) words was commitment. I broke by arm in third grade and received the award for commitment. My peers and teachers recognized me for commitment because, even though I broke my arm, I remained loyal to the classroom community and completed all assignments and never used it as an excuse. In general I also tend to crave long term commitments. In middle and high school I volunteered at the same community center for six years. I've been singing for 16 years. In high school I was involved and committed to three ensembles over four years. And, I've been working as a choral scholar for over six years. I've committed myself to the American Student Dental Association for the past four years and plan to stay involved the next four years. I commit to a life time in the ADA and as an outstanding dentist. 

Now What? My reflection... Commitment is certainly one of my strengths and I value it in others. To me, it is one of the most important quality someone can have. When I am looking to assemble a team, I look for people who are committed. I want to ensure consistency and the way you do that is through having the same people work on a project from start to finish. It is inefficient to have to replace team members repetitively. When commitment is lost, production is lost. The goal is lost.