Forget Interested. You Need To Commit.

Happy Weekend,

I started training this week for my first half marathon in April. Running, as you may know, is a habit I picked up last year.

My obsessive personality leads me deep into consuming everything about a new topic. In Bravey, author, filmmaker and Olympian, Alexi Pappas, describes the line between interested and committed.

“To be committed is to be dead set on achieving your goal no matter how much tedious work it takes. If you aren’t committed, you’re only interested. Someone who is interested will dedicate some time and energy to a goal but not enough to make it happen no matter what.”

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​– Alexi Pappas, Bravey

The line between interested and committed exists in any passion, hobby, or thing you’re trying to get better at.

Interested vs. Committed

I prefer to think about this visually, which is why I designed the chart above.

When you “get into” something, you cross the first major threshold. You move from the Don’t Care Zone to the Interested Zone. For wine, this happens when suddenly you want to know more about what’s in your glass.

It’s the awakening. An aha moment, you are now interested in wine.

But when it comes to hobbies, passions, and lifelong pursuits, far too many of us stay interested.

We don’t progress. We don’t get better. We never reach mastery.

You’re an average golfer, an average scuba diver, an average crocheter, an average consultant.

You have to decide if you’re okay with being average. Are you comfortable being stuck in that fat glob at the middle of the bell curve?

The Myth of The Moment of Commitment

Moving into the Committed Zone is not a singular act or a stroke of luck. It’s a drive to leap over the barrier.

This is a shift in mindset.

You look at where you are and say, “Damn it, I’m tired of being a mediocre at this.”

But saying isn’t believing.

If we were all good at committing, we’d all have 100% success rate at our New Year’s Resolutions every year. In fact, we’d be so good that we make them anymore. We’d live rich lives among friends and family doing all the things that made us better, happier, fulfilled.

As we all know, we’re human. We are fallible.

How Do You Commit To Wine Learning?

In the past, when it came time to commit to wine learning you had 2 options.

1. Get a job in the industry
2. Sign up for a traditional wine education course

I’ve pursued both, and ultimately, I lost my passion along the way.

Why?

Because you’re doing something on someone else’s terms.

You’re getting better than the average because you’re following someone else’s predetermined path for expertise.

Does it work? Sure, you move to right on the graph.

Does it make you happier? Probably not because you’re living on someone else’s terms.

If you’re going to commit to wine learning, you have to ask yourself a big question:

“Why do I want to learn more about wine and
how will I know that I achieved it?”

There’s no right answer, there’s only your answer.

Are you committed to wine learning?

If you’re committed to wine learning, you’ll have an answer to the first half of the question. Everyone is responsible for their why.

The challenge is defining the second part: the how.

So, if you’re committed, then you’re in the right place. I want to help.

Reply to this email with why you want to learn more about wine, and I’ll show you exactly how to get there.

That’s it. No strings attached, no gimmick, no offer.

I genuinely want to help you cross that barrier and feel more comfortable around wine.

So, write back right now.

Tell me: why do you want to learn more about wine?

Your friendly wine tutor,

Brian