Writing a Commitment Statement

What commitments (deep dedications and priorities) drive everyday living?

This question feels essential for everyday living for justice. Too often, though, it remains unanswered or even unarticulated.

Without knowing what matters to us deeply—so deeply that it mobilizes, energizes, and guides decision-making—it’s too easy to be on autopilot and to feed the status quo, even when it undermines professed beliefs.

To interrupt the autopilot conditioning that preserves oppression and ongoing violence, I believe it’s important to spend time really getting to know commitments and to understand what’s implicitly and explicitly driving actions.

One way to do this (one that I value as a writer and writing teacher) is through writing a commitment statement: a document that can be drafted, revised, and revisited often.

For years, I’ve been drafting and revising my own commitment statement, and I’ve been suggesting others do so, too—to make decisions about where, when, how, with whom, and why to put energy and attention.

This week, I’ve taken the scary step of sharing my statement as a way to answer the question:

What mobilizes, energizes, and guides the work you find here at Heart-Head-Hands: Everyday Living for Justice?

Navigate over to the new commitments page to read the full statement, which shares not only commitments and land acknowledgements, but also application to the work you find here (from blog posts and research writing to courses and coaching). My statement answers a number of questions, including:

• What’s guiding the work you find here?
• How am I striving toward accountability?
• How do I relate to money and resources?

I share my commitment statement as an accountability, acknowledgement, and re-alignment practice, as I commit again to striving toward social, racial, and environmental justice.

I also invite you to write a statement of your own.

As my close friend and confidant Rasha Diab has taught me: these aren’t statements we write; instead, these are statements that write us. So, I hope you’ll take some time for this practice and reach out to share feedback, reflections, and ongoing efforts in the work.

Committed to showing up imperfectly ~ to learning and unlearning,

Beth

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This post is written by Beth Godbee, Ph.D. for Heart-Head-Hands.com. If you’re interested in learning more, read the full commitment statement.

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