Commitment vs Apathy

Commitment is the glue that keeps it all together and on the path - a straight  and focused path to what you want to achieve.

Wish – Hope – Want – Commit – Goal – Plan – Achieve

Commitment looks like strong, open, eyes focused and your body is listening, ready and active.

You want to learn, you want to make a difference, you get excited, you have a wider view around you. You push yourself, you motivate yourself and you do this when no-one else is looking.

Do you know these people?  Do you work with these people?

What does apathy look like?

Apathy stops you before you even get started - you are on the roundabout and no intention of getting off.  Apathy will play the victim and hide their true emotions and cop out to "I don't know".

It looks like slumped shoulders, defeated, shuffle rather than stride, head down, all too much, too hard, too tired, give up, lots of sighing, look the other way.

Do you know these people? Do you work with these people?

Apathy can steal away your hopes and dreams and when you see it in the workplace, it will disrupt and frustrate. Apathy is the arch enemy of motivation, killing ideas, suffocating progress.
Yes, apathy is that rotten. You will struggle with improving staff engagement and getting your plans to happen if apathy lives there.

What to do about it.

If only I could jab you with a dose of anti-apathy or call in the anti-apathy busters to clear out the blues but,  IMHO -

1. When you see apathy, name it:  It comes from a place of hurt and lethargy, apathy is a shield to feelings and lack of direction. See it as a thief of your best.
2. Jump: Next, take a jump from the apathy cycle at WANT and make the decision to take the line to commitment.  You may think this is out there, but yes, jump, dance, move, step, stride, do any action. Match your thoughts of changing the attitude with action, even better do it to music. It's time to get silly and brave.
3. Passion squashes apathy every time. Apathy will say, I am not passionate about anything - I do what I have to do and to hell with everyone else.  Apathy tends to love the couch, so get the body heat turned up - add exercise to your day, drink lots of water. When you are at the desk, have a timer and at the minimum every half hour - get up and move. Time to start grooving.
4. Start with the small wins and celebrate what you have done and how far you have come.  
5. Pick one thing, one goal and make it happen
6. Choose one charity and give
7. Say one encouragement to another person every day
8. Wow! you have got to #8 you are showing commitment
9. Go to your employer and say " I want to understand why we are doing ...." 
10. Go to your employees and win them over. Work is creative and it is interesting and goals do work. Goals set by the employee - concentrate the mind, provide intrinsic motivation, support value & identity and fuel the passion. What better way to remove apathy!