Do you say one thing but do another?
Do you find excuses not to do what you said you would?
Do you still keep on making the same promises and breaking them?
I was watching an Instagram reel and this guy was saying that this is THE ONE habit that you must keep if you want to succeed in your life – do what said you would do. So simple, yet so profound! It hit me hard as I have developed the bad habit of putting off the things I said I would do, and often breaking the promises I have made to myself.
I realize that it doesn’t matter what productivity hack I have discover, or new insights I have gained, or new skills/talents I have developed – if I don’t keep the promises I made to myself and to do the things I said I would do. For example, every night, I say I want to sleep early. Guess what – I always end up losing track of my time scrolling through social media, and sleeping way later than I should!
This is what I figure I must do:
- Write it Down – put pen to paper, or type it on your gadget – and more importantly, write down why it is important to do it
- Prepare an Action Plan – determine what are the tasks involved, how long it is estimated to take or deadlines, and sometimes, the people involved
- Get an Accountability Partner – to keep you accountable for your actions – for me, this works like magic!
- Celebrate all the small wins – each celebration triggers the brain to want to do more of it – it is a dopamine reward to keep up your momentum
I know that when I keep the promises I made to myself, my trustworthiness and self-esteem increases. I feel more confident to take up more challenges in the future, because I can trust myself to do the things I said I would do.
This is my invitation to you: start keeping small promises to yourself and celebrate each small win. Build on this habit and keep on levelling up.
Promises are important. Whether to yourself or to others, they speak to your character and reputation.
How could you commit to someone who treats promised lightly, even those made to themselves. This is sign of weakness, lack of determination and conviction.