Broken Promises
by Teresa Salhi
Are you guilty of broken promises? Yikes, it happens to the best of us. We can do better when we know better. If you are like me, you are likely on a path to be the #feminineleader in your own life so you can inspire others along the way. It what I like to call living #myladybosslife.
We are on a path to level up our limits, set new boundaries for them and ourselves, yes? Many people break promises and have been for a long time. It’s often not intentional, but it does happen.
Broken promises often show up in the form of:
* Commitments not kept
* Things change
* Quitting
I know some of this all too well myself, I have broken promises to myself.
However, I’m in a new place now. Sometimes it’s hard but I will not give up on myself and my dreams. I have also spent a lot of time working myself thru what made me break those promises in the past and you can too.
I’ve also heard many painful testaments from other women. Women who’ve come to a crossroads where realizing they could no longer face NOT taking the steps they knew were necessary to take in order to actualize their gifts in the world. They too were ready to stop breaking promises to themselves and tired of being the victim of their own decisions.
The truth is we just have to own it and get over it. Life is not happening TO us as much as it is happening THROUGH us. In other words, it is up to us.
Here are here are some steps on ways of being that will help you to avoid; any more broken promises, with getting honest again with yourself and moving ahead now. These steps can be useful in life or business – it’s the movement forward and keeping those promises that make all the difference to who you are, how you feel and what kind of life or business you ultimately create.
1) Do what you say you are going to do.
Whatever you have committed to, honor it at all costs whether that commitment was made to yourself or someone else. Lie enough to yourself and others and nothing you say will hold weight. Do what you say you will do.
2) Do it when you say you will do it.
Don’t be late and if you are, don’t make excuses. Do it when you say you will. No one wants to work with someone unpredictable.
3) Do it how you said you would do it.
Don’t “halfway” through it. The way you show up and deliver is the exact way you will increase in all areas of your life, love, and prosperity.
4) Don’t be cheap.
Don’t be cheap and tell yourself you are being money conscious — give yourself pleasure, invest in learning, go on a trip, tip well, give love and time more freely.
5) A deal is a deal.
If you took on too much — uh oh. But a deal is a deal. Be authentic and carry through. It is the integrity of who you are and what you also accept from others — verbal, written, and promised.
6) Make a decision.
Indecision is a form of self-sabotage. There are only about 2% of things in life we actually ever need to “think” over. We know what we need to do — we are just to chicken to do it, so we wait. Make a decision and move on.
7) Balance does not equal procrastination.
Often I hear, “I will not work that hard,” “I will not go that far or that long because I want to maintain balance,” etc. Don’t fool yourself into thinking that doing less is a balance. The most balanced people I know are really hard workers. They do what they love — many for 10-12 hours a day. They have great support, they delegate the things they hate, and they play harder than they work. Balance is a joy. Balance is not how hard you do or do not work.
Pretty much everything you want in life requires some sort of effort and we can learn to avoid broken promises with a new commitment and energy. The more real you get with you – the more success you will acquire.
Dream
Big and keep going!
Teresa Salhi
P.S. If you need help getting on track, having the confidence to start, the perseverance to keep going and to keep believing – I guarantee this will help – About Empower The Dream Super Sessions, Weekend Makeovers and Long-Term Partnerships.
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Well, one thing that I have never done in my entire life is break a promise. My word has always been my bond.
Great Rachel!
I think it is also good to say “no” to those things that you are not willing to commit to. Sometimes, trying to look good puts one into the situation of over stretching oneself even though the promised is not even aligned with what wants or values.
I absolutely agree, great point Lorii
I’ve been trying to be better about not breaking promises. Sometimes I think it’s more about setting expectations or goals too high, which can put me in a bad spot. #6 is my favorite since my phrase for the year is “imperfect action” and making decisions goes along with that theme beautifully. Great reminders!
Awesome Meghan, here’s to making a decision and going for even when not perfect!
I loved your article, Teresa. I especially love #3, #4 and #7. It’s important to follow through on commitments. I believe the commitments we make to ourselves are the most important ones we can make. I also believe that we should invest in ourselves! Balance is really more about alignment in my mind. These are all great reminders for us goddess women to embrace.
Yes they are, so glad you found 3 that speak to you Tandy.
I think there is a real lack of responsibility in work these days. I’m really lucky to have a team who care about my business. They keep their word, work until it’s done and they look for ways to make things better. When you do these things for yourself, it comes naturally in other parts of your life, personal and business.
Yes I agree Cathy- I think this saying holds true and I use it often- “how you do one thing is how you do everything.”
Teresa, enjoyed your points, especially #6 where you say “Make a Decision.” I personally get frustrated when people don’t make a decision. In fact, I feel they are making a decision of not making a decision and letting circumstance decide for them. I also agree with you that life balance isn’t about procrastinating. It’s about enjoying life as you work and keep your commitments.
Yes, great points Claudette. I feel it is more important to actually make a decision not that it was the right one or not. Not making any just stifles you into nowhere.
Teresa, I was delighted to read this! Over 20 years ago in a Landmark Forum workshop I learned about keeping your word and how important it is. I have ended relationships with people who don’t respect others enough to keep their word. Another aspect of keeping your agreements is it helps us to set a boundary around our time. If you are committed to following through, you are more likely to only choose what you can actually do. Honoring commitments is empowering and you begin to trust yourself and are more honest with yourself.
It really does create an upleveling of who we are and we attract into our lives, doesn’t it Candess?
I feel that this is an important post, Teresa, especially in terms of keeping our agreements with ourselves. Honoring our word to ourselves, i.e., treating ourselves with respect and importance, is part and parcel of self-love, and that, I believe, is the key to everything.
Yes, it absolutely is Reba!
Great message and i am great at keeping promises for ohers , not so much for me 🙂
Well, you are not alone Suzie and that is why I felt the article was needed. If you were interested, maybe you could pick jut one of those tips and give it some priority for you. We do receive back in life that which we are – so, if that means we are not be truthful to ourselves we have a strong possibility of others not being honest with us too. Yikes!!
This is a terrific post, Teresa. I do value my word very highly, so at first I wasn’t sure how I would relate to the post, and then I really appreciated how you expanded the topic to include the things we ‘owe’ to ourselves, to not be cheap, to make decisions, etc. Really well done! xo
Wonderful Reba, I am please you found some value to the post. Thank you for being here.
This is a great message Teresa, and like many other women, I’m solid when it comes to keeping promises to other people, but not so much when it comes to keeping promises to myself. I am aware of that and actively working on it so I appreciate your tips.
I am pleased to hear you are giving this area attention – that is what is important. All the best!