Happy New Year! Perhaps you’ve made a resolution – or two or three – to make 2019 a year of change for you. Fine. Good first step.

Getting committed, really committed, is the message of a recent, highly acclaimed book by Linda Formichelli. It is called Commit: How to Blast Through Problems & Reach Your Goals Through Massive Action.

One Woman’s Story

Two decades ago, Linda Formichelli wanted to become a professional writer. She wanted to break free of working in the corporate cubicle. Baby steps might have sufficed, but she found that she and her family had to commit to this goal big-time.

She changed careers and moved from New Hampshire to North Carolina. She economized on time and money, wrote articles, editor queries and cover letters non-stop. Homeschooling their son, her goal was to fulfill her personal commitment to becoming a prosperous freelance writer.

It worked.

Giant Steps, Not Baby Steps

We are advised to eat the elephant one bite at time and take that journey of a thousand miles one step at a time. The advice is to heat that frog slowly.

But Ms. Formichelli disagrees. She believes that sometimes baby steps will not get you where you want to go. Giant dreams require giant steps.

She argues that committing works four ways. It gives explosively quick results, boosts motivation, allows success to feed upon success and provides victories that energize you.

Here are this author’s 20 tactics for achieving one’s dreams in her words with my explanations:

Embrace Discomfort

If it’s comfortable, you aren’t stretching enough.

Clear the Decks

Abandon lesser projects and concerns.

Make it Non-Optional

If is really worth doing, then you must do it.

Connect Your Goal to a Larger Purpose

Why are you doing this, really?

Go Big or Go Home

Half-measures won’t win.

Check in with Yourself

Is this what you really want?

Put Some Skin in the Game

The more you risk, the greater your motivation to succeed.

Read 10 or More Books on the Subject

You’ll nearly be an expert.

Overwhelm Your Goals with Sheer Numbers

Barely enough is likely to be insufficient. Nothing succeeds like excess.

Make a List of 100 Items

Don’t settle for listing 10. Some of the next 90 are likely to be gems.

Do a 30-Day Challenge

We can endure almost anything for a month.

Fill Every Spare Moment

Be like those ladies who knit while doing something else, almost anything else.

Deliberately Move Faster

You can accelerate if you decide to.

Surf Your Way to Success

The web can be your friend.

Measure Everything

Management gurus advise if it isn’t measured, it doesn’t get done.

Hire Help

Not all tasks are suitable as do-it-yourself projects.

Divide and Conquer

Utilize specialization and division of labor.

Crowdsourcing

The ultimate in getting outside involvement.

Gear Up

You can’t do something with nothing. Buy the essentials, at least. Investment enhances motivation.

Make Space

You’ll need elbow room or even a whole room. Find space at home or perhaps rent it.

Let the Competition Spur You On

If Mr. X. or Ms. Y. can do it, so can you, right?

In my own case, I rescued my college sweetheart from a difficult situation, changed location, jobs, and career, downshifted my living arrangements and my other expenses, and was blessed with the marriage that I had always hoped for.

The Bottom Line for Top Performance

“Faint heart never won fair lady” the adage goes. Whether in love or war or career, one must commit fully to achieve great outcomes.

What have you done wholeheartedly and succeeded at? What do you want to commit to for 2019? Which of the 20 tactics are you most likely to embrace? Please join the conversation