Last year I took people at their word when they made promises to me and admittedly felt a bit naïve when they failed to deliver. However, this year I made a promise to myself that I would not rest too comfortably on the promises of people. What I sadly discovered was that while many these people were well intentioned they never associated their promise as a bond.
Not one to be daunted for very long by disappointment I sought to look for the valuable lessons found in the disappointment of broken promises and here are a few little nuggets of wisdom that I'd like to share with you:
1. Whenever someone makes a promise it's a good and hopeful idea to give them the benefit of the doubt.
2. If someone breaks a promise then try to see if there were extenuating circumstances that prevented them from delivering. If there were unpreventable circumstances forgive, clear the slate of resentment, and move on.
3. Try to recall if breaking promises is a consistent pattern with this individual and if it is exercise vigilance when dealing with this person in the future.
4. If this person continues to break promises you may want to choose confront them on their inconsistent behavior, keep them at arm’s length, or rid them from your life altogether.
5. Persist in the face of disappointment and trust that there are people out there that are willing to help you. There are a lot of positive and helpful people out there so do not allow a series of disappointments to make you jaded or cynical about acquiring people’s help when you need it.
6. Take responsibility for your own wishes being carried out and do-it-yourself.
7. Remember that your strong sense of health, well-being, and balance is very much controlled by the choices that you make, what you think, how you react, and by what you can control.
What I’ve learned that it’s a great idea to occasionally assess and prune some of your friendships and to ensure that you are keeping quality and healthy relationships in your life. A person who consistently breaks promises is someone that cannot be trusted and that’s not healthy. I love to say to people who consistently break promises “I cannot hear a word that you are saying because your actions are speaking so loudly”.
So, do you consistently keep your promises?
