The amazing story of Charles Blondin, a famous French tightrope walker, is a wonderful illustration of the difference between someone being interested vs. being committed.
Blondin's greatest fame came on September 14, 1860, when he became the first person to cross a tightrope stretched 11,000 feet (over a quarter of a mile) across the mighty Niagara Falls. People from both Canada and America came from miles away to see this great feat.
He walked across, 160 feet above the falls, several times... each time with a different daring feat - once in a sack, on stilts, on a bicycle, in the dark, and blindfolded. One time he even carried a stove and cooked an omelet in the middle of the rope!
A large crowd gathered and the buzz of excitement ran along both sides of the river bank. The crowd “Oohed and Aahed!” as Blondin carefully walked across - one dangerous step after another - pushing a wheelbarrow holding a sack of potatoes.
Then at one point, he addressed his audience: "Do you believe I can carry a person across in this wheelbarrow?"
The crowd enthusiastically yelled, "Yes! You are the greatest tightrope walker in the world. We believe!"
"Okay," said Blondin, "Who wants to get into the wheelbarrow."
As far as the Blondin story goes, no one did at the time!
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The people were interested. They enjoyed watching from the sidelines. They enjoyed watching Blondin take all the risk. They enjoyed staying within their comfort-zone.
However, the people in the audience, were NOT committed.
There is a HUGE difference between being interested and committed.
Are you interested in whatever it is your involved in or are you committed?
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