Have you ever heard the saying, “Don’t tell me what you’re going to do. Tell me what you’ve done”. Well if you haven’t you should write it on a wall or a mirror or on the forehead of the person you speak to the most.
There are some people that actually say what they are going to do and they do it. Every time, plain and simple. Awesome! There are also people who say they are going to do things and whose intentions may be pure in the moment, but life happens and they may not be able to follow through as promised. Then there are those people that for whatever reason feel the need to make false promises, constantly say what they are going to do and never do it and tend to be extremely wishy washy.
Even the latter may not realize what they are doing but the truth of the matter is, be careful. Look at this list and figure out who you are. If you are not the first type mentioned I would take a good long look at yourself and figure out a way to overcome the pattern.
If you surround yourself by people that tell you they are going to do things, even the simple things, and then they don’t do it, what will happen is, you will subconsciously stop trusting them. No one wants to submerse themselves in here-say. Speculative promises that go unfulfilled leave doubt in it’s wake.
Don’t get me wrong, I am not talking about sharing with your friends that you are pursuing some grand endeavor and you confide in them while you are in pursuit. I am talking about the little things that add up and will eventually equal loss of trust.
If you say you’re going to call, call.
If you say you’re going to be somewhere, be there.
If you say you’re going to do something, do it.
If you find yourself for whatever reason not being able to follow through with a promise, gesture, or intention, tell the person. Be brave and face the truth. No one is going to like you any less because you aren’t able to deliver. But people will stop trusting you and you will alienate people if you don’t adhere to what you say.
Remember, words have power. Your integrity resides not just in your words but in the actions that follow… After-all, actions do speak louder than words. Don’t you think?
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