What do you do when you get discouraged with the kind of life you are living? You make commitments with yourselves and others to enhance the quality of life. In order to become a better leader and achieve the desired success, you end up making promises such as-
“I am going to read a novel every week!”
“I will hit the gym starting tomorrow.”
But do you always mean what you say? Are you able to stick to your commitments?
Well, when you make commitments, you can choose what to do further with them. Either stick to what you said as if your life is dependent on it or keep moving on, the way you always do.
Some people tend to choose the easy path and oppose any change in their routine. For them, after all is said and done, more is said than done! It is way easier to fall into the habit of not following what you said you would do.
People who do what they commit to doing, whether to achieve personal goals or help others, become the most successful.
But how can you build an attitude of ‘talk less, do more’ and always be able to stick to your words?
Keep reading this blog, and together we will figure out how to you can always do what you say.
1. Think Twice Before You Commit
Before agreeing to any promise to yourself or anyone, be sure that you can deliver what you are going to say. It may sound easy, but it is the most difficult thing to contemplate.
From forgetting to call someone to not delivering on the project within the deadline whenever you are unable to keep your promise, you are losing the trust of another person.
Hence, it is better only to say “Yes” or “I’ll do it” to things you are 100% sure of. Procrastinating or not finishing a task in time is far worse than saying a straight “No.”
2. Make a Schedule
Whenever you commit to doing something or say “yes” to something, make sure to abide by it. Mark the critical dates in the calendar, set a reminder and start taking the required steps from that very moment.
For instance, if you commit on waking up early and go for a jog, then set a daily reminder for that too. It will help you ensure that the task gets done.
Set your priority according to the timeline of the tasks. You may feel like giving up in between, so patient and keep working. This will help people remember that you are a man of your word.
3. Stop Making Excuses
Excuses lead to nothingness and distrust. If you have missed the deadline of your promised work, don’t make excuses or pass the blame on to someone else. Instead, be honest, own your mistake, analyze the actual time frame needed to get the work done, and commit to delivering the tasks at the next deadline. People may be more understanding than they appear. It is better to do what you say rather than make excuses and lose self-worth and dignity.
4. Consider Other People’s Feelings
The promises that we make are not just some conditions that are required to be fulfilled to attain satisfaction. They are the guarantees of our integrity that are to be honored in the present. In order to perform what you said, you first need to understand and consider the feelings of other people.
How can you do that?
Understand what people want from you,
Give time to yourself to contemplate on the conditions,
Ask yourself “can you really do what you are going to promise to do”, and if the answer is a ‘yes’ then only say it. This way you assure that you will complete the task and will not hurt people’ feelings. Remember, when you do what you say, you offer respect to the ones you made a commitment to.
5. Be More Responsible
Abraham Lincoln said, “We must not promise what we ought not, lest we be called on to perform what we cannot.”
It is wise to promise only things that you are sure you can do, otherwise, you abase yourselves in the eyes of others. Leaders own responsibility for whatever they say and do. They make sure that they abide by whatever they commit to.
What Will You Gain?
What is the benefit of being a ‘man of your word?’ Why should you always do what you say? It plays a large role in your success, more than you know. When you start putting effort into the goals you have set, no one can stop you from achieving the results you desire. Continuous efforts and strong determination help in building the character that makes you a hard-working individual.
Your actions instill trust and credibility in the minds of your colleagues, friends, and family. When you do as you said, people begin to trust and rely on you with essential things.
You should know that what you say is valuable and doing what you say is even more valuable. Strive to stay true to your words and you will start to hear opportunities knock on your door.
Helpful Resource: Life Changing Motivational Speech