“Commitment is a decision — and the Latin root of the word decision means ‘to cut.’
So when you make a real decision, you’re not just choosing a path. You’re cutting off all other options.”

That quote from my conversation with Zipwhip CEO John Lauer has been echoing in my head ever since we spoke.

Because the more I talk to successful people, the more I notice a pattern:
They don’t just try things — they commit to them. Fully.
They get laser-focused on solving one problem, and they stick with it for years. No shortcuts. No detours. No chasing shiny things.

John told me that if he could give one piece of advice to his 21-year-old self, it would be this:

“Go raise money!
Money is oxygen to achieve a vision. People will rally around you if they believe in what you’re building.
But here’s the key: it always takes more than a year to bring a real idea to life — so give it at least three.
And most importantly… commit.
That’s the problem. People just don’t commit.”

And he’s not just saying it — he lives it.

John was in his final semester at one of the top computer science programs in the country when he made a radical move: he dropped out.

Not because he couldn’t finish — he could have easily coasted to graduation.
But he didn’t want a backup plan.
He believed that if he was going to be an entrepreneur for life, he’d never need a résumé — so why bother with the degree?

More than that, he wanted the weight of that decision to stay with him.
He wanted to burn the ships.

It reminded me of a story from Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich.
A great warrior once brought his army to enemy shores. They were outnumbered. But once they landed, he ordered the ships to be burned. Then he turned to his men and said:

“The only way off this island is if we win.”

They won.

And that’s the point.
Success demands full commitment.
No half-measures. No Plan B.
You either go all in — or you don’t go at all.