Your Word Matters

Did you take the challenge last week to do absolutely everything you said you would do? What did you notice? Is life working for you in a way it wasn’t before? Were there times when you didn’t keep your commitments? What did you notice then? Did you do anything unreasonable in order to keep your word? Was it inconvenient or even painful? What happened or didn’t happen as a result?

We often use the terms “keep” and “honor” interchangeably when it comes to our word. But they are actually different. To keep your word means to always do what you say you will do. ALWAYS. To honor your word means to do everything within your power to keep your word, but in the event that something gets in the way, you own it and clean it up. Honor means taking responsibility to do whatever necessary to make it right, without blaming the circumstances, which may be legitimately uncontrollable.

Let’s take a simple example. Imagine if you really honored your commitment to be at work on time. You take steps to ensure you are awake and out the door and taking the best route possible, in light of weather, traffic reports, etc. You get intentional to plan for things you used to leave up to chance.   So let’s say you do that for three months perfectly. You have kept your word. And one day, something completely outside your control gets in the way—flat tire, fender bender, road washed out—and you show up 30 minutes late. You have failed to keep your word.

However, you can still honor it. As soon as you know you will be late, inform the impacted parties of what is happening and what you will do to make up for it. It could sound like this: “I apologize for being late. I should be there in 30 minutes. I’ll work over lunch or stay an hour longer to make up the difference.” Taking full responsibility to clean up the impact that being late caused is what actually makes a difference in your results. And by taking responsibility, regardless of the circumstances, you are honoring your word even though you didn’t keep it. See the difference?

Here is a truth that many don’t understand: Explaining WHY you are late has no bearing on the impact that you being late causes. None. I know, this is news! You think your reasons make a difference in the situation. All they really do is allow you to abdicate responsibility for your own life and for the results you are creating, turning them over to someone or something else instead (circumstances, emotions, thoughts, moods, situations, etc). That’s it.

Whether you are late because you hit snooze 5 times or because your car had a flat tire, the impact of you not being at work at the agreed upon time is the same. No judgment here at all. This is about workability and performance. Just notice what happens to the quality of your life when you take full responsibility versus blame the circumstance. Responsibility is your access to power that makes a difference in your results. Honoring your word is key to elevating your life!

Last week we looked at how vital it is to honor your word even in the small things. However, don’t take that as a message to only commit to small things. If you are playing life full out, you will be making big commitments and will not always keep your word. There will be breakdowns a small percentage of the time. But even in the breakdowns, your word can always be honored even if it wasn’t kept.

However, if you find it easy to keep your word, and find that you keep your word 100% of the time, consider that this is because you are playing small in life. It is easy to keep your word when you give it only to things that have you stay in the land of comfort and safety, rather than call you into expansion and growth. Look and see what you are giving your word to—comfort or growth? There is nothing to fix about this. Just notice it. And if you desire more powerful results, you can achieve this through choosing and honoring bigger commitments. It will really move your life forward.

Where would you like to experience greater impact in your business, relationships, health or spiritual life this week? What larger commitment needs to be made there? Just pick one. Are you ready to honor that?

 

To Your Great Life!

Becky