Keeping Your Word

How hard do you try to keep your word when you give it to someone?

It's a tricky thing to do, in today's busy life, but it is terribly important.

When you keep your word, and follow through with whatever you said you were going to do, you are building your integrity.

While it is true that something may seem insignificant at the time, integrity is often built through small moments of truth. Moments when you can choose to do what's right, to be a person of your word, and to hold yourself to the standards you expect from others.

When you give your word, make sure you are giving it on something you know you will be able to follow through on. The more you promise things and don't do them - even seemingly small things - the more people will learn that you are not a person of integrity. That being said, there will be times when a situation arises that makes it so that you cannot follow through. Being a person of integrity also means that you admit this when it happens. Rather than pretending you didn't say it, or lying to cover up, you need to show your integrity and admit that you can't keep your word, and explain why.

Keeping your word is not an unachievable task, it is simply small acts that you do to prove you are a person of honour.

So, next time you tell someone "I'll get that to you tomorrow", or anything else along those lines - make sure you actually follow through on it. Write yourself a note if you have to, just make sure it gets done. Taking small steps like this will keep you on a path of integrity.