It's Your Word...

Do you keep your promises... to others and to yourself?  Do you do what you say you will?    Can people rely on you?

We don't tend to think about the fact that what we say and what we do... matters.  Our word is our reputation and a gift to those we give it to.  It is what trust is built from... or is destroyed by.  

Unforeseen circumstances can cause plans to change.   Cancelling plans when your Mom is admitted to the hospital is understandable. Reneging on a promise.... and especially when you do so promise after promise means that others can't believe what you say. They start questioning your sincerity and at the very worst they quit trusting you.

Then there are the promises that we make to ourselves.  I don't know how many times that I've promised to eat better and walk regularly.  I've stopped and started so many times that my body doesn't believe me when I say, "This time I'm going to do it!"  In fact we disappoint ourselves so much that we lose faith in the one person we need to have the most faith in, us!

When you're ready to make your word count try these Simple Steps:

• Practice saying "No" to all the requests that you know that you can't handle.  "No" doens't mean never.  It means that right now you need to balance what is on your plate.  Adding one more promise puts stress on you because you know that you're not going to be able to meet the obligation and ultimately it is going to stress out the person who asked you when you back out.  Better to say no early on then to put your friends and family in a bad spot.

• Schedule your time.  For whatever you have on your plate double or triple the time that you think that you'll need to accomplish it.  That takes the stress off of you because you've set aside the extra time.  It also helps when someone asks you to help and you've already booked out the time for something else.

• Balance your priorities.  If you really want to help others as much as possible set aside time equal to what you set aside for what you want to do.  That doesn't mean that every minute of your day is scheduled.  It means that you set the expectation in your own mind that you are doing all that you can for someone else while taking care of yourself.  

We all want to be respected... and we sure want to feel good about ourselves. When we make conscious decisions to keep our promises to ourselves and others we build a solid foundation of trust.  And with trust... anything is possible! 

Trust Your Instincts - Simple Step #2 - Have a Conversation With You

Simple Step #2: Have a Conversation with You

1)    Write down; yes; physically write down, the issue that you need to resolve.  Take the time to make sure that you are being absolutely clear with what the issue is.  If it isn’t clear to you when you write it down then keep revising it until it is clear in your mind.

2)    Next read the question.  If you feel comfortable doing so read it out loud.  Though doing so isn’t absolutely necessary it does help you clarify it in your own mind.

3)    Now, do nothing.  Sit quietly and listen.  You will begin to hear words forming in your head.

4)    Write down whatever pops into your mind. Keep writing until you don’t hear anything more.  You may find yourself asking the question again if the stream of dialogue comes too quickly for you to keep up with it.  Amazingly you may also have a simple one-word answer.  Whatever comes to you, don’t judge it, just write it down.

Everyone experiences a different level of intuitiveness.  It may take asking the question several times to get an answer that you understand.  What is important is that you write down everything that comes into your mind.

When you are done writing read through what you have written.  Is there a theme, a common thread that emerges?

Within the response is your instinctual answer.  Be open to receiving it...and be prepared for the unexpected.

Within you are the answers that you seek because within you is everything that you need to do what is right for you. When you listen to yourself you are never misguided.  It may take courage to move forward on the answer that you receive however as you start to trust your instincts you discover how good you are as a decision maker.