Be a (wo)man of Your Word

Do you do what you say you’re going to do?

This is a vital question to ask yourself. 

The last thing you want is to be known as the person who dishes out false promises like candy on Halloween. 

Not being good with your word has severe consequences in personal and professional life.

To demonstrate these, let me tell you a story…

Bob lives in a house in San Diego, California with his three friends, Tim, Jim, and Tom. 

One day, when everyone was out of the house, Bob decided to pull a prank. 

He called each of his friends, one by one, and said in a panicked voice, “Quick, come back. The house is on fire!”

The friends rushed back, pushed the door open, and looked around…at a perfectly not-on-fire house. 

Bob pops out from behind the couch and starts laughing, saying “You should have seen your faces!”

The next week, Bob does the same thing. This time, his friends take a bit longer to come and aren’t as surprised when there is no fire.

As the weeks go on, Bob continues to pull his prank. And, his friends continue to come later and later. They start to expect that it’s a prank.

One day, Bob is reading a book in his bedroom while his friends are at work when he smells smoke. 

He rushes downstairs and sees that a fire has started from forgotten food on the stove. He tries to put out the fire but it just won’t stop spreading.

Frantically, he picks up his phone and calls each of his friends. But…

They don’t pick up. 

You're probably thinking two things:

1. Bob really needs to work on which pranks he pulls, and

2. Why did Bob call his friends and not the fire department?

My answer: Alright smart guy it’s just a story. Roll with it.

Now that you rudely interrupted me, let’s get back on track…

Bob’s friends (probably not anymore) didn’t answer the phone because they expected something.

They expected that Bob would say the house was on fire when it wasn’t.

Rightfully so, considering that the same thing happened week after week in the past.

So, let’s try to generalize this message:

People expect you to act how you have in the past. 

If you constantly lie, they will assume that you are lying.

If you constantly break promises, they won’t expect you to follow through.

If you constantly lend a helping hand, they will know you as a selfless person.

The moral of the story is that being dependable is important.

In my opinion, it is one of the greatest things to be.

When others can depend on you to keep your promises, be truthful, spread kindness, and help others grow, that is something special.

It not only helps your friends, family, and colleagues but it helps you become a better person. 

All in all, dependability is an important skill that you can learn to help yourself and others both personally and professionally. 

Your word is one of the strongest things you have, and the last thing you want to do is throw it around and break it. 

No need to make promises you know won’t be fulfilled. 

It may be more difficult, but be honest and straightforward.

Be dependable.

Like always, if you liked this week's post consider sharing with friends and family or giving me feedback. I love hearing what you have to say. 

This week, try and be a little more careful with your word…it’s more powerful than you think.

Keep making progress. Change for the better. Live the Heming-way.

See you next Monday,

Trevor