If you've been following along, you may remember 23 days ago when I wrote about commitment for this 33 life lessons for 33 years of life.
Acknowledging that commitment and dedication are often used interchangeably, here's one way of distinguishing the two:
Commitment measures an individual’s passion towards achieving a particular goal and dedication is a quality that can only be gained through both commitment and perseverance.
www.differencebetween.com
The difference is subtle, and depending on how loose with language the conversation it is used in happens to be, it may not matter much.
But, if you're interested in learning alongside me as I continue my personal pursuit to master what I’m calling Language of Leadership, and like to think about the words we use in our life and work, join me!
Etymologically,
Dedication is from the late 14th century dedicacioun, "action of consecrating to a deity or sacred use," from Old French dedicacion "consecration of a church or chapel”.
Whereas to commit, meant to "to give in charge, entrust," around the same time period.
In the 1530s it was to "trust (oneself) completely to;”
To me, I think the usable nuance is that Dedication has more to do with a quest in service to a higher purpose than it does with a personal endeavor.
In the 1600s, Dedication was understood to mean "the giving of oneself to some purpose”.
It's like commitment is immersion where dedication is a proclamation.
With 10 days left in these 33 lessons I'm sharing until my birthday, I'm using these last 10 days to share 10 ideas I regularly return to, and how I'm working to make my commitment to the ideas serve a greater purpose for others.
What are you committed to?
What are you dedicated to?
That difference could mean nothing, but it could mean everything.
