Our Four Levels Of Commitment

Pep Marí is a well-known sports psychologist and performance coach who has worked with elite athletes and teams at various levels. He is recognized for his expertise in mental conditioning and helping athletes optimize their performance through psychological strategies. Pep Mari has an interesting perspective on how our personal commitment directly correlates to performance. He says that most people approach goals with four levels of commitment.

Level 1: “I don’t care.” You operate with complete disinterest at this level, resulting in a lack of effort or engagement. You don’t even make an effort.

Level 2: “I will try.” Here, you show up with a conditional commitment. You are unclear about the task’s difficulty, and that bothers you. So instead of saying an outright No, you are willing to try it. 

Level 3: “I will do my best.” According to Mari, this is the worst level of commitment because it gives you a wonderful escape from ownership and commitment when things get hard. It lets you get away with not doing enough to achieve the outcomes. This is the most dangerous type of commitment because it creates an illusion of commitment without fully committing yourself.

Level 4: “I will do what it takes.” For most things in life, operating at Level 4 commitment is a must if you genuinely want to get the results you are looking for.