I love computers – when they are working! Yesterday I sat down to write my blog and lo and behold, the internet crashed! Several hours, much frustration and one new modem later, we were back in business. So I wrote my blog the old fashioned way – pen and paper! Can paper crash? Of course not. Now, on to my blog.
Have you ever agreed to do something only to regret it later? And then you go inside your head, trying to come up with a reasonable and non-guilt generating excuse for getting out of it?
Sometimes, of course, you have a legitimate reason not to do what you committed to do. You wake up the day of with a fever. Your spouse or partner or family member is being taken to the hospital for emergency surgery. You tripped and fell and now you have a broken/twisted/swollen ankle. You get the idea.
But how about the excuse that you changed your mind and you just don’t want to? Isn’t that okay? NO. Why not?
It’s called integrity – ” firm adherence to an especially moral or artistic code..” Without it, how can people rely on you? You need to be a man/woman of your word. People count on it. It’s part of what makes you, you.
Years ago (years and year ago) I participated in EST (Erhard Seminars Training), named for the founder, Werner Erhard. It covered two weekends and was very expensive. Fortunately I didn’t have to pay for it. My boss did. He had just gone through it and felt the benefits far outweighed the cost.
I don’t remember a lot from it but a few valuable lessons have remained with me. One of them is ‘Keep your commitments!’. I don’t know about you but if I fail to keep a commitment I have made I have this nagging feeling inside that makes me feel crummy. I can’t talk myself out of it, either. It sits there, like an unwanted guest who won’t leave.
I recently had an experience with that guest. I had made a commitment to go somewhere with friends and later changed my mind. I absolutely did not want to go. I lied about it (shame on me!) and made up an excuse why I couldn’t go. In comes the unwanted guest. I felt uncomfortable, weak, unsure of what to do. Then it hit me – ‘keep your commitments!’. I made the decision to do just that. I’m going and I’m going to enjoy myself!
After making that final decision, I felt 100% better. I may still have a few reservations about going, but I can deal with those.
Here’s the thing – think carefully before saying ‘yes’ to anything. Don’t get caught up in the moment only to regret your decision later. But if you do say ‘yes’, then follow through with it. Unless of course you trip and break your ankle. No, I mean really break your ankle. Keep your commitments! :))