Promise

"Never promise more than you can perform"
Publilius Syrus

How often do you keep your promises. Many of us will promise to do things just because we know that it will please the other person, only to realize later that we can't do what we promised. Sometimes we even know before we agreed that we weren't going to be able to follow through. We don't want to risk confrontation, to risk disapppointing other people. But in the end, the other other person feels let down, and we feel guilty. It's a bad situation for everyone.

We often give our word casually, and break it just as casually. We aren't aware of the costs of breaking our word. These costs include losing trust, respect, and credibility with others, which leads to deteriorating relationships. They also include sometimes causing a mess when things don't go the way people had planned on. But the most important cost of all is that you learn to not trust yourself. You weaken your sense of integrity. You create confusion and self-doubt within yourself and weaken your sense of personal power.

Never promise more than you can perform. Only make agreements that you intend to keep, and write them down. Don't rush into any agreements without taking the time to think them through. And if for some reason you can't keep an agreement, always tell the other person as soon as possible; apologize and tell them why you can't keep it. This way you will have better relationships with others, and most importantly, with yourself. And you will be more successful.

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