Commit to Win: How to Harness the Four Elements of Commitment to Reach Your Goals

by Heidi Reeder Ph.D.

Overview

Anyone who’s ever given up on a New Year’s resolution knows: Willpower eventually runs out. Whether the goal is personal or professional, the factor that really determines success is an individual’s commitment level. Heidi Reeder, PhD, is a highly regarded communication expert with a slew of high-level clients. In Commit to Win, she unpacks forty years of research by psychologists and economists to show how commitment boils down to just four variables: Treasures, Troubles, Contributions, and Choices. Showing how to harness these elements—and providing practical examples and action plans—Reeder gives everyone the tools to stop wishing—and start achieving.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780142181812
Publisher:	Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date:	04/28/2015
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	5.35(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.55(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Heidi Reeder, PhD, is an associate professor in the Department of Communication at Boise State University. She lives in Boise.

Read an Excerpt

Levels of commitment change, sometimes on a daily basis, depending on the key variables that drive commitment. And here’s the exciting news: some of these variables you can control.

Table of Contents

Introduction vii

Part I The Power of Commitment

Chapter 1 A Fresh Look at Commitment 3

Chapter 2 The Commitment Equation 27

Part II The Elements of Commitment

Chapter 3 Treasures: What Do You Value? 47

Chapter 4 Troubles: What's Holding You Back? 81

Chapter 5 Contributions: How Much Have You Given? 121

Chapter 6 Choices: What Are Your Alternatives? 149

Part III Engaging the Commitment Equation

Chapter 7 All In 179

Chapter 8 Moving On 193

Chapter 9 Assisting Others 207

Acknowledgments 221

Notes 223

Index 235

What People are Saying About This

Cal Newport

This book sheds light on a crucial (but often overlooked) question: Why do some people persist with important goals while others do not? A must read for those interested in the science of achievement. --Cal Newport, author of So Good They Can't Ignore You

Meg Selig

What a useful and entertaining book! Heidi Reeder's simple explanation of the 4-element formula for commitment can help you into--or out of--a commitment such as a relationship, a workout routine, a job, or a project. A valuable addition to the psychological literature. --Meg Selig, Licensed Professional Counselor, author of Changepower! 37 Secrets to Habit Change Success and the "Changepower" blog at psychologytoday.com

From the Publisher

Praise for Commit to Win:

“Commit to Win is at once readable and rich with ideas, both fun and important.  Heidi Reeder reveals the complexities and dispels the myths that surround commitment, and sketches a compelling framework that explains why committing is sometimes so difficult, and how to right the ship when commitment wanes.  Well worth reading if you’ve ever struggled to follow through on a plan that seemed important but somehow fell by the wayside.”
—Adam Alter, New York Times bestselling author of Drunk Tank Pink: And Other Unexpected Forces That Shape How We Think, Feel, and Behave
 
“This book sheds light on a crucial (but often overlooked) question: Why do some people persist with important goals while others do not? A must read for those interested in the science of achievement.”
 —Cal Newport, author of So Good They Can't Ignore You
 
“What a useful and entertaining book! Heidi Reeder’s simple explanation of the 4-element formula for commitment can help you into—or out of—a commitment such as a relationship, a workout routine, a job, or a project. A valuable addition to the psychological literature.”
—Meg Selig, Licensed Professional Counselor, author of Changepower! 37 Secrets to Habit Change Success and the "Changepower" blog at psychologytoday.com.
 
“Commit to read this superb book, now!  Heidi Reeder will help you reach your goals.”
—Barbara Morgan, NASA Astronaut (ret.)

Adam Alter

Commit to Win is at once readable and rich with ideas, both fun and important. Heidi Reeder reveals the complexities and dispels the myths that surround commitment, and sketches a compelling framework that explains why committing is sometimes so difficult, and how to right the ship when commitment wanes. Well worth reading if you've ever struggled to follow through on a plan that seemed important but somehow fell by the wayside. --Adam Alter, New York Times bestselling author of Drunk Tank Pink: And Other Unexpected Forces That Shape How We Think, Feel, and Behave (Assistant Professor of Marketing and Psychology, New York University's Stern School of Business)

Editorial Reviews

"[Reeder's] book is delightfully practical as well as informative, packed with intelligence and clarity of both thought and expression. Learned, yet eminently accessible, it is a rare pleasure."
—The Economist

“Commit to Win is at once readable and rich with ideas, both fun and important.  Heidi Reeder reveals the complexities and dispels the myths that surround commitment, and sketches a compelling framework that explains why committing is sometimes so difficult, and how to right the ship when commitment wanes.  Well worth reading if you’ve ever struggled to follow through on a plan that seemed important but somehow fell by the wayside.”
—Adam Alter, New York Times bestselling author of Drunk Tank Pink: And Other Unexpected Forces That Shape How We Think, Feel, and Behave
 
 
“This book sheds light on a crucial (but often overlooked) question: Why do some people persist with important goals while others do not? A must read for those interested in the science of achievement.”
 —Cal Newport, author of So Good They Can't Ignore You
 
 
“What a useful and entertaining book! Heidi Reeder’s simple explanation of the 4-element formula for commitment can help you into—or out of—a commitment such as a relationship, a workout routine, a job, or a project. A valuable addition to the psychological literature.”
—Meg Selig, Licensed Professional Counselor, author of Changepower! 37 Secrets to Habit Change Success and the "Changepower" blog at psychologytoday.com.
 
 
“Commit to read this superb book, now!  Heidi Reeder will help you reach your goals.”
—Barbara Morgan, NASA Astronaut (ret.)

From the Publisher

03/17/2014
As New Year’s resolutions fade and best-laid plans dissolve, Reeder, a psychologist at Boise State University and corporate consultant, offers a guide on how to successfully stick to new choices and relationships. Reeder’s book follows a clever equation (adapted from social psychologist Caryl Rusbult) of rewards, outlays, and contingencies to show readers at once how commitment ebbs and flows, and also the best ways to control and affect outcomes. Each element is examined through thorough grounding in experimental psychology, showing how even these elements can be used to your advantage. These studies and their surprising conclusions make up the bulk of the book. Rewards, for example, are best found at random—even better if they’re internal, rather than external—and it takes five times as many rewards to account for one countervailing difficulty. But the more you give, the more likely it is you’ll enjoy even the most onerous task. The last three chapters include useful exercises and action plans, which could be better integrated throughout the book, though still make for a practical, actionable guide to embracing commitments and goals. (May)

Publishers Weekly