Inner Choice and Commitment

For a commitment to be truly effective, we must feel that we have made an inner choice to commit. We must own what we have done. We are more likely to be consistent with a commitment if we feel that we have made the choice to commit without any external pressure.

This is why large rewards or threats are not effective at creating long-term commitment. While they may produce short-term compliance, they do not create a lasting sense of commitment. This is because we do not feel that we have made an inner choice to commit. We feel that we have been bribed or threatened into compliance.

The most effective commitments are those that are made without any obvious external pressure. This is because we are more likely to feel that we have made an inner choice to commit. This is why small, subtle commitments are often more effective than large, obvious ones.