How many times have you said that you will do something that in the end you don’t do? Keeping promises is a vital part of our integrity, whether with ourselves or with others. Fulfilling promises largely defines who we are and is the guarantee of the weight of our word.
Did you want to finish a book? Did you want to start going to the gym? Did they ask you for a favor that you said you would do? Did you commit to study?……and you didn’t do any.
Also read: How to have self-discipline to read at least one book per month.
Although we do not always “break” our word because we want to, we must have a continence plan so that this does not happen. And the first thing is to know why we failed to do it.
Why can’t we keep promises?
1. We are confident in our ability to make excuses.
Excuses, excuses, excuses. We all do! It is often easier to come up with excuses than reasons why we should do something. They can range from not having enough time to the stars not being aligned correctly. In any case, sometimes it seems easier and safer to do nothing than to tackle what we told ourselves we were going to do.
2. Our fear outweighs our capacity.
The fear of failure is to blame for killing more dreams. Ironically, if you don’t fail you won’t succeed. We’re so used to leaning into the easy of negativity, and this often deters us from taking on challenges or setting goals.
Fear robs us of our self-confidence and allows us to think about why we can’t do things or make them happen. Take your fears by the horns and stop underestimating yourself; you are more capable than you think.
3. There are no important reasons to keep the promise.
What does that promise mean to you? Why did you say you were going to fulfill it?
Sometimes we pursue things because others expect us to or we simply hold on to something we shouldn’t.
When we try to keep promises for the wrong reasons and chase things we don’t really need or want; we are not driven to comply with them.
As a consequence we end up wasting a lot of time, energy and money that could have been better used.
4. Not setting our priorities correctly.
It’s amazing how we manage to find time for things that don’t really add value to our lives, but we give the excuse of lack of time as the reason why we can’t keep promises.
It is never about having time, but about gaining more time. (Here’s how to make the most of your time.) If something is important enough to you, you’ll find time to do it and make it a big enough priority.
5. We want to “do” everything.
When we extend our attention, energy, and focus to many things, sometimes we don’t improve our skills and expertise in the area in which we would thrive most and is best suited for us. (Learn more about attention residue)
It is important for us to discover what we can do. In this way motivation and perseverance will be present.
We are not meant to do everything, nor can we do EVERYTHING.
6. We tell our goals to everyone.
According to studies it is better to be reserved. The more we talk about the things we want to do and don’t do them, we lose credibility with others, and with ourselves. When we continually fail to keep promises we become demoralized, lose confidence and faith in ourselves and eventually cannot keep promises.
We need to learn to spend our energy doing things instead of talking about them. As they say, let the results speak for you.
7. There is no plan.
“When we fail to plan, we plan to fail.” A plan is essential to help us achieve our goals. How do you plan to meet your goal? What actions do you need to take? Write it down and come up with a clear strategy.
Imagine that you have a business idea but you don’t know where to start, most likely if you don’t have a defined plan, you will fail.
Having a plan will give us direction, allow us to better set our priorities, and make sure we stay on track in pursuit of our goals.
8. Not having a deadline.
Having a deadline forces you to focus and discipline yourself more, as it creates a sense of urgency.
When promises are adrift and lack a time frame to be fulfilled, they sometimes fall into the background; this often leads to procrastination and sometimes results in things not getting done at all.
9. Quit when the going gets tough.
Nothing worthwhile is easy. Some goals will really require all of our efforts.
You already know the main reasons why we cannot fulfill the promises we make to others and to ourselves. Now you just have to do the opposite.
-Identify why you will do it.
-Have an action plan, based on our priorities.
-Set deadlines.
-Tell it exclusively to the people who will help you achieve it. (or nobody)
-Understand that your fears only cloud your ability to improve.
-Understand that the more excuses you make, the more you sink.
And remember, if you are really interested in creating your own business, you can purchase our book “How to create a company while working: Discover how to manage your time, manage your money and motivate yourself while creating a company and working for another” , where you will find all the information you need to found your own company, without having to leave your job.
