Other than Brian Klemmer, I am the only other colleague at Klemmer & Associates that had the privilege (although at the time I didn’t always see it that way) of working and spending time with Tom, Brian’s oft-mentioned mentor. Once I recall him mentioning the 51% principle.

If you take the complete totality of our commitment to be 100%, then we could assign to that total various percentages of sub-commitments and intentions. There is no doubt that there are various things we want in life and ways we want to be. There are certain impulses that pull us forward and impulses that too often pull in competing directions.

When we are motivated or inspired, that pull gives us meaning and a reason to get up in the morning. The question remains, what is the commitment level needed to accomplish what we say we want? The greater the degree or percentage of commitment that a person aligns or identifies with his or her goal, the more powerfully and quickly that goal is attained.

And ultimately, to fully achieve something we need to be 100% committed. But in the beginning, is 100% commitment an absolute requisite?

Tom used to say that in the beginning, you didn’t need 100% commitment to something. Initially, that may seem like too gigantic a leap. But for momentum to be in your favor, simply move past the 50% level of commitment. When that line is crossed, he stated that consistent, measurable results would begin to accrue.

Once you achieved 51% and more, a wave of momentum would begin to swell in your favor and you draw toward you a synergy of forces. So the interim goal, Tom suggested, was to build and align one’s commitment to break through the 50% level. Then, get ready!

Dan Dorr

Personal Mastery Facilitator