I would say yes. I keep my commitments. Particularly when someone asks me to do something.
But then the thought process moved along and the question became do I keep the commitments I make to myself? (And my inner smart ass piped up "O yuck - are we going to talk about this?”)
Yeah, I replied. We're going to talk about this.
We make them every day, I’m going to only work until 3:30, and I’m going to work out at 4:00. I'm going write a blog post at so and so time. I'm going to have dinner at 6 o'clock.
When we make commitments to people other than ourselves, agree on a time to meet for lunch, give them a buzz, pick up something at the grocery, we keep the commitment. (Even if it's out of fear) We agreed to do whatever it was and the vast majority of the time come hell or high water (or major inconvenience) we do what we say we're going to do.
The folks we keep commitments to are usually important to us in some way. Friends, spouses, children, employers, neighbors etc.
But what about the most important person in our lives? As in you and me?
Do we keep the commitments we've made to ourselves? All the little things we say in our minds that we are going to do, those are commitments. Commitments we're making to ourselves. Do we do what we say we are going to do when we say we're going to do it?
Do we sit down and write the blog post or do we spend the time scrolling through Facebook?
Do we post the post the picture on Instagram (our first Instagram post ever), or suddenly just have to go fold the laundry?
Here's what I figured out. When I make a commitment to myself and I don't honor that commitment I erode the trust in my relationship with me. (Pretty freaking important to know.)
When I don't do what I say I'm going to do, I let myself down.
It's like saying to yourself “you're less important than other people in my life."
Or worse yet “You and what you're trying to accomplish is not important." (Uuuck! How icky is that?)
When I keep my commitments to myself, when I do what I say I'm going to do, the relationship I have within deepens, the trust I have with me grows.
Keeping my commitment means I exercise my will-power and discipline muscles (saying no to the afternoon movie, leaving the laundry in a pile, Facebook and its 96 notifications go unchecked) and do whatever it is that I said I would do. It means I accomplish and get done whatever it is I committed to.
When I keep my commitments to me what I'm telling and showing myself is I can count on me. I have my own back. I can count on me to write that blog post, be on the call, to honor my calendar. Whatever it is… I can count on me.
And the more I keep my commitments the better I get at keeping them.
And my relationship within continues to deepen, and the trust continues to grow…..
Your turn - Do you keep your commitments to you? Do you have your own back?
