I want to talk about a not so popular topic – being truthful and keeping promises. We have all done the opposite. And the bad thing is—we will do it again.

We will lie to ourselves, to others, and break promises.

We all know we shouldn’t fib to family, friends, or co-workers. But we should also be truthful to ourselves. We should not only keep our promises to others but also ourselves.

Keeping self-promises will help you achieve your goals.

A promise is an assurance to do or not do a particular thing.

Have you ever forgotten the promises you made to yourself?

Have you ever broken promises to yourself?

How did you reconcile the situation? Did you make it up to yourself?

Remember the following: I swear I will, for sure, I will… But we didn’t do what we said. Well, that’s all water under the bridge. I try not to beat myself up too badly about missed opportunities. And you shouldn’t either.

Today is a new day, and we can start afresh.

We don’t want others to lie to us. In like manner, we don’t want to tell others or ourselves a whopper.

I told my daughter I would cook a meal for her family of four. She had a tiring week helping the kids with virtual school while working at home. I didn’t envy her at all. Working within the pandemic’s stress and constraints, she deserved combat pay and something better than rations.

Not only she, her husband, and my grandchildren had a stake in my keeping my word, but I did too. I kept my promise. The meal included cabbage, beef stew, rice, and cornbread.

But It is just as essential to keep the promises you make to yourself.

I recently finished an Instagram challenge to post content for 30 consecutive days. It wasn’t easy. But a promise is a promise. I met the challenge, which translated to me keeping my word. There were no excuses to be made, and I made none.

In both of these promises, others counted on me to keep my word. But there will be times when only you know your promise, and you’re accountable only to yourself.

Don’t lie to yourself. Deliver on personal promises.

Don’t make excuses; hold yourself accountable. I know it’s easy to say, oh, it wasn’t written in stone. I changed my mind. It wasn’t that serious!

I’ve said similar things. If the fulfillment of the promise was of value to you or someone else, why was it broken? Being candid and truthful about it is very important.

A promise is a test of integrity.

We know the difference between a broken promise because ‘life happened’ or because of neglect.

What does one do when neglect leads to broken promises?

You apologize to the concerned party. But what if you are the promiser and beneficiary?

Not so quick!

Don’t try to squirm out of the obligation to apologize to yourself and reconcile the issue.

Keep your word! Can you trust yourself to keep your promises? On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest integrity level, what’s your integrity score?

Your score determines the link or line between your intentions and actions. We must be purposeful with our promises.

The following are a few suggestions on how to make yourself accountable for your promises or goals.

Write your promises or goals down.

Keep your goals visible.

Establish a timeline to chart progress.

Tell a friend who will hold you accountable.

Avoid self-sabotage – make sure you have the resources and skills to achieve the goals.

“Even the most horrible of nightmares is laced with the promise of dawn.” Author Unknown

Let’s be a promise keeper.