When one thinks about a unit of currency, for instance, a dollar bill…the value of the bill does not rest in the printed paper itself, but what it represents to others. The value of that piece of paper is a shared belief and agreement between everyone that comes in contact with it. Simple right?
But is it the same for something else we share with others…our words… Are they worth the same to both parties? Even the words we say to ourselves…do we choose those words with equal care?
I ran across a story a year or so ago about a young man that honored his recently deceased father at the father’s funeral. In giving the eulogy, the son remarked, “My father was an average man. He was no war hero. He never wrote a book. He never ran marathons. He was a pharmacist. No recognition. No fame. But for everything that made my father “average” and “every day,” there was one thing he did exceptionally well. He kept his promises. My father was a man of his word.”
The son later printed out what he referred to as “promise cards” to help remind people of the importance of keeping commitments. This simple act turned into a movement that has changed the lives of people all over the world!
The idea was simple…write on the card what you wanted and then…keep your commitment!
If you say it…you do it!
How different our lives would be if we just did this one thing! Keeping our commitments to ourselves and to everyone else.
Do what you say…
Wouldn’t you value someone that consistently did that? Even if it were you?
Now seems like a perfect time to start…