In the summer of 2019, musical artist Mike Posner decided to walk across America. On Day 104, in the middle of Kansas, the Cooler Than Me singer posted a video to his Instagram page about pushing through when it got tough.
"That's the whole point of a commitment," Mike said about feeling like he had to finish the walk, "You know going in you're going to want to quit at some point."
Commitment requires a prioritization of consistency over authenticity. That's not my idea. It's Seth Godin's, someone I would consider as an expert on commitment. Seth has blogged every single day since the beginning of 2002. To achieve that, I imagine there has been numerous occasions where he hasn't felt like writing. Skipping a day or two would reflect how he authentically felt.
But Seth hasn't skipped a day. And, as he explains in this video, neither do good surgeons, painters, or any professional who takes pride in what they do. They show up and perform, because they've made a commitment.
To be clear, he isn't saying that you shouldn't have a close circle who you can be vulnerable with. He isn't saying you shouldn't take care of yourself. What he is saying, is that, for the things you commit to, consistency is the priority. To borrow Posner's words, that's the whole point of commitment.
The same is true in coaching. Athletes come to trust a coach when they know how he or she will show up across a variety of environments. Thus, we have to commit to consistency over authenticity because coaching is not about us.
It's about the athlete.