Sometimes a lot of us really struggle with keeping our word.  You know, doing what we say we are going to do. If we say we are going to do something or help someone or take action on something then we need to make sure we do it!  Part of the problem is that so many of us struggle with over committing to things in our life that we can’t possibly keep our word all the time.

Overcommitting in life makes it hard to keep your word…or even remember it!

We need to make sure we are not over committing in life and don’t commit to doing more things in life than you are actually able to.  Know your schedule (no one else has to) and know what you are willing to sacrifice for your time while building your commitments off your willingness to give up your free time.  I for one think it is important to have time in your life where absolutely nothing is scheduled and it is certainly ok to say no to people to make sure that happens!  So keep a tight grip on your schedule and know when to say no and when to commit.

Our inability to keep commitments could hurt those around you

There is nothing more disheartening for a person to have someone else commit to something with you only to back out or reschedule at the last minute.  It really stinks to be on the receiving end of that and I bet that the majority of you have felt that disappointment and maybe even regularly. All the more reason to not be the one breaking commitments.  If you keep track of your calendar and make sure you’re not overcommitting to things then hypothetically you should not struggle with keeping your word in this area.

Now the next issue to tackle is the importance of keeping your word and sticking to your commitments…this is a character thing.

It’s not like keeping track of your calendar can help you be a better person, it is simply a tool to help you not overcommit.  Keeping your word and sticking to your commitments is something that you need to work on daily and is definitely related to your character.  It can help you be a better person, as keeping your word deals with honesty and integrity.  I am talking about the times you commit to something and something better comes along later.  You can’t just immediately run to the thing that you think is better, you already committed to something else!  See how that would be a character quality to work on?

Do you really want to be the person constantly letting people down?

So many of us either commit loosely to something or break commitments any time something better comes up but that’s not going to help you make friends or help you be a better person.  You have to realize that giving your word should be a bond, and that you need to uphold that bond. Hopefully your word is more important to you than whatever activity or thing you are thinking is more fun.  If it isn’t I urge you to dive into why that is and figure out if that’s who you really want to be.

A promise needs to be kept and it’s a habit to start working on…right now!

If you promise to do something, or be somewhere then there should be precious little that will stand between you and keeping that promise.  Barring some kind of emergency you should be there and accomplish what you said you would do. This is a skill that needs practice just like so many things I post about. If you work on it daily it will be like second nature to act like this and you might see some quick benefits in the relationships around you.  Give it a try and see how you do, I bet you will surprise even yourself at how quickly it becomes easy!