Every Commitment We Take, Every Commitment We Don’t Drop

We’re likely at capacity when it comes to commitments. We can take on more, but some will have to go.

a mind that is at full capacity receives an incoming request for help from a reaching, pleading hand, futuristic, neon, digital art — by DALL·E

Saying Yes

I like saying yes. It often goes like this: someone asks me if I could help them, and I honestly assess if that would be the case; if so, I promise I will; if not, I apologise and try to point them in the right direction. I can attest to the effectiveness of this approach: not only will people like and respect us, but they will also go out of their way to help us in the future. This is the case regardless of the organisation or community we may belong to. However, I also understand it is the first step toward burnout.

The issue is in the second phase, the assessment of our possibility to help. We may be truthful when analysing the problem at hand and the skills and experience at our disposal. Nevertheless, we often forget about time constraints. It is not a matter of whether we are capable of something but whether we have the time to do it. We might feel we are being loyal to the person coming for help, but we are cheating ourselves. The reality is there is only so much time. There are only so many commitments we can keep. At some point, we will reach our capacity. Not realising this moment is tragic: simultaneously, we…