Have you ever had someone break a promise or commitment to you? Have you ever made up excuses just so you could get out of a commitment?
Mykonos, Greece by tu-anh
I have! Long ago, back in the day, I used to break my word all the time with my friends and family. Now, this happened rarely when it came to my work since I could not risk losing my job or clients. But when it came to the people close to me, I took them for granted and would often fail to keep my word, mostly on smaller matters. But these failures all added up and have caused a lot of resentment and upset.
A lot of it was due to my not being able to say no and wanting to please everyone. I used to break my word with them and changed my mind a lot due to instant gratification and emotional impulses. But I realize now, as an adult, that it is probably better to say yes and mean yes rather say yes and let people down because I can’t follow through on what I promised. This over the past 10 years have cost me time, money, and even relationships.
But through a lot of personal development, yoga, meditation, and all kinds of inner awareness work, I realized that the secret to having great relationships in life – besides honest communication – is keeping my word and promises, especially when it comes to those dear to me. Now I have changed so much that it takes getting used to for some of my friends and family who are still focused on my old ways of being. 🙂
I am sharing this information with you because I want you to know what I have come to realize through the years, in the hopes that it will improve your relationships, too. Here are my top 10 reasons why it is important that you keep your word:
1. You can be trusted. When you honor your word and keep your promises, people will trust you, and trust is the basis of all relationships. Others respect you when you hold true to your word. Break it and it will be meaningless; soon your words will no longer have value.
2. You have integrity. Keeping your word demonstrates quality in your state of being. It shows that you have a strong inner self and you walk the talk. So think twice before you compromise your integrity.
3. You are honest. The words that come out of your mouth reveal a lot about you as a person. By being accountable for your words, you show others that honesty is your best and most valuable policy.
4. You are responsible. You don’t go back on your promises even if you have to pay a higher price to keep them.
5. You are generous. A generous person does not alter promises for self fulfillment. When you keep your promises, it shows to others that you give unconditionally.
6. You honor your relationships. It shows that you truly care about pleasing others and you take them seriously.
7. You are inspiring. When you do what you say you will do, you model the behavior for others to follow, which will result in more respect for you as a leader.
8. You can communicate. What you say, how, and why you say it is one of the ways you bond with others. By matching your actions with your words, it demonstrates that you know how to communicate effectively in order to build strong relationships.
9. You are a problem solver. When you keep your promise, it means you focus on the solution and not the problem that a broken promise has created. Get in the habit of keeping your word and your life will be more balanced, more focused, and less stressed.
10. You are successful. Most people did not become successful for no apparent reason, they are successful because they have drive, passion and they go after what they want. But most importantly, they keep their promises and honor their word with others.
These days, I am still not perfect at keeping my word with my friends and family, but I am doing much better and most importantly, I do a pretty decent job at managing their expectations and give them a heads up rather than waiting until the last minute. As always, I would love to hear your thoughts and personal experiences on this. Leave a comment below or email me your responses privately. Until next time….Love, tu-anh
