Frequently as we go through our lives we make commitments. We agree to do things, to follow through, to accomplish projects, to be somewhere, etc. We do this every day in some way or another. And when we agree to do something, we are giving our word, and in essence, a promise that we will do something. Now the word “promise” means different things to different people. Some people don’t think giving their word is as binding as making a promise, but the fact is when we say we will do something, we are making a promise that it will be done. Just because we don’t use the word “promise” when we commit, does not make the commitment less important or less binding.
It is imperative if we want to be trusted, that we keep our word – our promises. Some people give their word easily with no intention of following through. Perhaps they just want the conversation to end so they can move on, and saying they’ll do whatever is being asked will end it. When we have someone in our lives that does this, someone who constantly says they will do something, and then does not follow through, we eventually stop trusting them, and we stop asking them. Since it’s impossible to have a close, trusting relationship with someone who does not keep their word, we move them a step away from us. We back away a bit from the closeness we had before. That will negatively affect the relationship. It can’t be prevented. Relationships by their very nature are based on trust. If the trust is gone, there isn’t much left to hold onto.
But what if we can’t keep our word because of circumstances out of our control? Sometimes things happen, and we can’t follow through on what we’ve said we would do. When that happens we need to let those involved know right away, explain the situation, and decide how to go forward. But if we do this over and over again, something always comes up, there is always a reason why we can’t follow through, there is always an excuse, then the situation is different. If that happens, after a time, those around us will no longer believe us when we say we will do something, they will no longer trust our word, and they will assume we are going to bail. They won’t count on us anymore.
If we are going to give our word, or make a promise, we must do everything in our power to keep it. We can’t just forget about it, we can’t just make up an excuse because we don’t want to do it, we can’t dodge the person who asked us hoping it’ll just fade away. We must keep our word. And if we can’t we must handle that appropriately so other plans can be made. If we do these things, if we are truthful, our relationships will be stronger, people will trust us, they will learn that we are honest, and that we care about them. We’re all in this together. We need to care about each other. We need to follow through. We need to be there for each other. Without that, we stand alone, and nobody wants that.
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