3. Be Specific: Specificity generates electricity! You can’t get energized by, or committed to, vague generalities. Trying to fulfil vague promises is like trying to hit a moving target – an exercise in frustration. An effective promise is a specific promise. Instead of making a vague promise to lose weight, determine specifically what weight you want to see
register on your scale, and by what specific date. Here’s where you can turn a few specific, concrete goals into heartfelt promises.
4. Be Selective: After you’ve made and kept a few smaller promises (see Tip #1), it’s time to up your game. Be selective here. A well-chosen promise can define your life’s work, your passion and your mission in life. Pick just one or two important goals. Don’t over-promise. Too many items on your
promise list can be overwhelming and could undermine your confidence and lead to backsliding and disempowerment. The 1st Century (B.C.) Syrian poet, Publilius Syrus, said it well: “Never promise more than you can perform.”
5. Write It: A written promise, signed into law by your own hand, is much more binding and powerful than a verbal promise. Writing down all of your promises, even if you only make a few of them, will help you keep your word. The act of writing itself helps to clarify the promise. It helps to make it concrete and
real. Particularly if you incorporate the two magic words ‘I promise’ at the beginning of each promise. It’s essential that you do so.
6. Share It: If you really want to increase your chances of keeping your promise, make it public! Hold a promise-making ceremony of some kind and tell several people about you at the same time. A great idea is to announce a personal empowerment promise on a special day, such as your birthday. Instead of making a wish and blowing out the candles,
try making a promise and let your friends and loved ones know about it. Make use of social media like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Post the promise on your blog or website. The more people you tell about your promise, the more likely you’ll keep your word. Sharing your promise with one person or many is a way to call in reinforcements – witnesses and supporters. Sharing elicits caring and support from those who know about your promise.
7. Follow Through: Always remember, a promise is a promise. When you make a promise, your integrity is on the line. You must follow through. You should make a promise to keep your promises.
Whether you make the promise to yourself, to someone you care about, or to God or some other deity, a promise brings with it a heart-centred, emotion-charged power that increases the likelihood that you’ll keep your word.
As Christopher Robin said to his friend Pooh Bear: “Promise me you’ll always remember. You’re braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem and smarter than you think.” Those words of encouragement from A.A. Milne underscore the empowering nature of making a heartfelt promise. When it comes to keeping promises, we are all braver than we believe, stronger than we seem, and smarter than we think.
Matthew Cossolotto is a former NATO speechwriter. Author of several self-help books. He conducts public speaking workshops and other Personal Empowerment programs in Brussels and beyond. www.ThePodiumPro.com, Matthew.Cossolotto@gmail.com
