Promises To Keep

Promise: assure someone that one will definitely do, give,

or arrange something; undertake or declare that something will happen.

by Michael Corthell

We make promises all the time. ''I promise I'll be there.'' ''I promise I'll wash the floor later.'' ''I promise I'll be more careful.'' "I promise we'll give you a promotion in six months." and the big one, ''I promise I will NEVER _____________.''

We make them and break them all the time, individually and as a society, but why?

''An ounce of performance is worth pounds of promises.''

— Mae West

When we don't keep a promise to someone, it tells that person that we don't value them. We have chosen to put something else ahead of our commitment. Even when small promises are broken, others learn that they cannot count on us. Small cracks are made in our relationships littered with small broken promises.

To find the reasons why you might be breaking your promises and to find ways not to continue doing so, lets ask some questions.

What is my motivation behind the promise? Why am I saying I will do this? What are my intentions? Am I doing this for the other person or for myself? Selfish promises are not good promises.
Am I being realistic? As we all know, life moves a very fast pace. Think, ''Do I have the time to do this for this person.'' Look at your schedule, and ask yourself if you can keep this promise. Better to under-commit and over-deliver than over-promise — always.

How important is it for me to make this promise? You do not have to make promises to others. Don't let others rope you into making a promise. Tell Bob down the street that you would love to help plan the neighborhood cook-out but don't know if you can do it because of your schedule, and that you will let him know next week. People respect honesty.

When I do break a promise, do I handle it well? When we unexpectedly have to work or take care of an immediate need, do we let our family know as soon as we can that we won't be able to make it for diner? When something extremely important comes up, that keeps us from meeting a friend as planned, do we tell them as soon as possible so that they can make other plans? Most people are reasonable, as long as we are kind and have a good explanation.

The more careful you are about making promises, the easier it will be to keep them.

Keeping these things in mind can help us manage commitments more effectively, which helps us stay positive and feel better about ourselves too.

Keeping our promises is good for others and good for us!

Because I said I would | Alex Sheen