An external commitment is when we are accountable to or for someone else.
An internal commitment is when we are accountable to ourselves.
External commitments involve a specific output that someone is expecting.
Internal commitments involve a specific output that you are expecting.
External commitments are generally powerful because social contracts, acceptance, and the prospect of acquiring useful resources (i.e. financial) are generally powerful.
Internal commitments can be powerful depending on how accountable you’re willing to be to yourself.
The stuff you do when no one is watching is principally driven by internal commitment — it’s what you expect of yourself.
How high the bar is — how significant and meaningful that stuff is— depends on the expectations you set for yourself and your tolerance for letting yourself off the hook.
The higher the standard, the lower the tolerance, and the more powerful your decision and resolve to do something is.