Making it Work at Work: A Guide to Career Development and Fulfillment (Collection)

Do You Mean It?: Discovering Meaning

A friend, who is struggling to decide if he should stay in his current romantic relationship, asked if I would speak about the topic of commitment. I spent several days pondering the topic, asking myself such questions as:

•   What do we mean when we say “I am committed to such and such?”

•   Is a commitment a vow to stay involved with something—like a community, marriage, or job—and to never leave, in spite of circumstances?

•   Is commitment simply a feeling that stems from the belief that something is important to us, and therefore we feel attached to it in some way?

•   Are there obligations that go along with a commitment, and are there ways to measure whether we are fulfilling these obligations? ...