Tweet

Keeping Your Word

Guest post by: Jeanna Gabellini

Article Overview: I think most people will agree that keeping your word is a good thing. I know that when someone tells me they are going to do something that will positively impact me in some way, I want them to follow through. Deliver the goods as you have promised.

Keeping Your Word

I think most people will agree that keeping your word is a good thing. I know that when someone tells me they are going to do something that will positively impact me in some way, I want them to follow through.

Yet, the flip side of this value of integrity can take you into a tailspin. I've spent many a coaching session with my most successful clients getting them to drop the rigidity of this seemingly positive quality.

Have I thoroughly confused you?

You see every personal value has a dark side when you go out of balance with it. I used to be over-the-top about integrity and it irritated my friends. They teasingly called me "The Integrity Police." I finally got it. I was so rigid about everyone telling the truth, keeping his or her word, being responsible and doing the right thing that I caused myself a lot of unnecessary pain.

Here's what I see as the way you can keep your word and have it be a super duper positive experience for everyone involved.



1. Only commit to things that you truly want to do and have time to do.

2. If you find that your commitment no longer feels good or there's not enough time to complete without stressing yourself out, tell the truth immediately to whomever you made the commitment.

3. Keeping your word should feel compelling not like a heavy responsibility.

People fall down when they feel guilty if they don't keep their word even though doing so causes them to be negatively impacted. This serves nobody.

In business it's important to only offer that which you can easily and joyfully fulfill. This will make you over deliver every time and keep your team, customers, clients and vendors raving fans.

A dear friend of mine, Rich Fettke, long ago taught me the power of keeping your word. If I causally asked him for a favor or phone number at a party, within twenty-four hours he'd do whatever he promised. This blew me away because most people say, "Yes, we should get together" or "I promise I'll send you photos of this event" or "I'll give you that book next time I see you." And you don't hear from them until the next party.

But here's an interesting point about keeping your word...it's even more powerful when you mean what you say to yourself. Rich did this when he wrote his first book Extreme Success. He told himself that he would write a successful book and get a nice advance from a publisher. He did exactly that. What happened to him was not common at all for a first time published author.

Keeping your word is about making decisions and getting 100% behind those decisions. You do it because it jazzes you. It feels good. When I say I work 8am to 4pm, I mean it. I may go five or ten minutes over, but that's it. My mom watches my children while I work and she needs to know when I will take over. It's a done deal. Nothing ever unexpectedly happens to derail me from these hours (hasn't in over two years) because I am so clear that this is the way my life will be.

Use your word to support and uplift you and for no other reason. If you need to make a new decision after you make a promise to yourself or someone else, do so powerfully. Give yourself full permission to make decisions based on your higher good in each moment.

Last year, Rich wrote a rap song for my brother's birthday and I heard it. I knew I wanted one for my next birthday and made my request. On the eve of my birthday I received an email with a link to a recording of my special birthday rap. I had TOTALLY forgotten about it. Rich didn't. He is a man of his word and it's highly attractive.

It works the same way in business. Deliver the goods as you have promised and if there's a glitch, powerfully communicate what the person can expect next. Easy. Simple. Highly attractive.

Here's the words to Rich's birthday rap:

Yeah, Bo Beena

Sit back and lets me tell you

A cool li'l story

'Bout a woman with passion that's earned her glory,

Talkin action', attraction and prosperity

She's keeping it real -- peace, hope, clarity.

Oooooh ooooh

don't hold back, let it scream

Oooooh ooooh

turn it up, live the dream.

Who's this goddess I'm talkin' 'bout?

Let's just say she's got the clout.

A masterpeace she has created

a vision of the intention that she stated;

yeah she uses all that woo-woo

but keep in check your point of view, you

living good and living happy - ain't that how it's 'posed to be?

Bitchin' and whining just don't work, that's what she hopes you'll see.

Oooooh ooooh

don't hold back, let it scream

Oooooh ooooh

turn it up, live the dream.

Yeah I'm taking about you, Jeanna G -

Yaw shoulda known you'd be hearing from me.

I ain't one to break my word

Time to speak my mind, time to be heard

What I wanna say is all about you

It's how you live your life, let's review ...

A loving mom and caring spouse

bringing laughter and love into your house

And it don't matter -- air, water, snow

you're ready to rip and ready to go

Oooooh ooooh

Don't hold back, let it scream

Oooooh ooooh

Turn it up, live the dream.

Thanks to the Universe creating you.

What I'm saying, Jeanna G...is we love you.

Happy B Day. Goddess.

Out.

Related Articles
  The Power of Integrity
  What's the Measure of One Word?
  Timeless Internet Advice
  Synergy
  Beware greenwashing your business
  SELL SMARTER; NOT HARDER: Part 3
  Selling And Goal Setting; Setting Sales Goals That Actually Work
  How Emotional Words Play a DeadSerious Role in Google Ads Blog Post Titles
  My Door is Always Open
  New Competition in 2008
  Do You Think You Are a Failure, When Failure Comes Knocking At Your Door?
  How to Stay Motivated
  Emotional Intelligence and Word of Mouth Marketing
  Turn Up The Heat
  One Word that Can Help With Life Balance!
  Develop Your Positioning Statements
  Rule 16 Make Your Advertisement Look like Editorial Content
  Blueprint for Success
  Describing a Complex Service
  Top 4 Free Online PDF to Word Converters

Article Tags: commitment, integrity, Jeanna Gabellini, Promise, promise, Rich Fettke, truth



Related Forum Posts
Re: What's Up With Word Clouds? - I would like to see Word Clouds used in conjunction with a Survey. I've been experimenting with Word Clouds within Google Docs forms using the advanced Word Cloud Widget.
Measuring Word of mouth - [quote="jvprosperity":2l2ujat4]I couldn't find the Part 1 Doctrine on the site but I believe from reading the blog posts it had to do with the distractions entrepreneurs and their customers face daily. He may have also talked about Word of Mouth and the true way of measuring it.[/quote:2l2ujat4] Hi Andy, So how can one measure "Word of Mouth" marketing then?
Re: How to Stay Motivated - Thanks for posting this, Matthew. Keeping the motivation strong is something I've really been struggling with. Donna, I think I was just not pushing as hard as I need to and getting maintenance instead of progress.
Re: Tactics for Blog Traffic - Keeping up with your blog with a new post at least once a week should be atop every blogger's to-do list. The Google "Freshness" approach rewards new, original content.
Re: Free Word-Count Tool - Hi David, Thanks for the link. I will only use it anyway if I am not using Microsoft Word


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

Sales Courage and Resilience

Promoting your company and self with verve

BUILDING A HIGH PERFORMING TEAM

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.