Probably not! As disturbing as it is, are you proud of it? Give me one reason why I should take your word about anything! Is your personal integrity at risk? Are there any people around that actually keep their word about something?
When you hear the words, “I’ll call you right back,” what are the odds that they never will. Experience in today’s world tells us that one’s “word” is useless, or at the very least, unreliable. Glenn Van Ekeren in his The Speaker’s Sourcebook calls this antic “Famous Fibs.” It seems we live in a world of excuses. Or maybe just call it what it is---lies!
Is it a fear of commitment when you give your word that you will do this or that?
Being raised on a small farm by my grandparents in the 1950s, gave me a real view of what it means to place value on one’s word (it says—I promise). And how critically important the words are that come out of your mouth. Back then coming out of World War II was a time for reliance on one another. Farmers knew that relying on the neighbor’s help baling hay before the rain depended on the neighbor’s word that he would help—and he did!
Today, verbal promises are nothing more than tongue wagging appeasements to fill up the time when one should be speaking the truth. Wouldn’t it do your heart good to hear the real truth once in a while?
If you are on a mission of self-improvement, this is a great place to start. Take a moment and think of the benefits derived from making your “word” count for something (a promise kept).
· You are known to be reliable. It means others trust you and know that they can depend on you. Is that important to you?
· You become known among friends, family, and work associates as dependable. It puts you ahead of everyone else as a leader. And it is perceived as a profound respect for others, their time, their planning, their efforts, and their life.
· You become highly respected. You don’t have to earn it. It comes to you spontaneously as a result of your dependability and reliability—when you say something, you mean it.
· You become trusted. If there ever was a quality of a person that fuels the ego, stimulates the self-esteem, and brings others closer, it is being trusted.
· You find peace of mind that others never discover. Why? Because your mind and spirit are working together in harmony to let you understand that the qualities you are showing others, helps them—and they begin to see the value of keeping their word.
· You evolve into a role model. Oh yes! You may not want to assume that role—it isn’t all that bad! It’s a standard that others aspire to, a compliment to your integrity, and an honor that is associated with doing the right thing.
· Your integrity is multiplied. When that happens it brings with it favors, opportunities, and career levels that you never thought possible.
Maybe you can’t handle all these powerful dividends? Fine, just expect to be trampled by those who are rushing to the front ahead of you. No one has an axe to grind here—except you. The standards that mentors and others hold you to are far below the standards you hold yourself to.
Meryl Runion sums it all up in a remarkable book that you will find inspiring. Her, “How to Use Power Phrases to Say What You Mean, Mean What You Say, & Get What You Want,” is a clear presentation of how progress in our lives is stalemated by our lack of good communication, and indifference to what we mean when we say it.
It’s your move!
