Last night, I ate at an amazing restaurant called The Committed Pig. Now, I'm a vegetarian, so the name didn't initially sound appealing. When a commonly consumed creature is the face of an eatery, I tend to run the other direction. Last night, however, I was intrigued.

Although the name of the restaurant does imply, in a way, the the restaurant sells meat (there is a lot of bacon on the menu), it actually has a much more interesting origin. There's an old fable about a ham and eggs breakfast from which the name of the restaurant derives. In preparation for the meal, the chicken lays an egg, but the pig sacrifices himself, thus the chicken is involved but the pig is committed.

As I chowed down on my salad (my friends call me a rabbit–there was no bacon anywhere near my plate), I thought about what that means to my college career, friendships and future. What am I involved in, but really should be committed?

I firmly believe in sticking to my word. If I don't mean something, I'm not going to say it. If I want to make something happen, I'm going to be my best. It isn't enough to be involved if one wants true success. Nobody wants to work with flakes or lazy peers who cut corners. Nobody wants to have to work for failure, although that happens sometimes, but being fully committed to everything one does should produce the best possible result. In that case, you can't say you didn't try. Nobody wants to put up with flakes who never follow through. Nobody likes a hypocrite.

It's hard to be the committed pig when you're surrounded by so many chickens. Self-sacrifice of time and dedication is hard to do, but it makes you a respectable and successful hard worker. Sometimes, that reputation is worth more than any monetary value to follow.

Next time you start a project, form a friendship, join a new firm, etc., ask yourself whether you're going to be a chicken or committed pig.