Do you consider yourself to be an honest person? You don’t lie, unless maybe it’s not to hurt someone’s feelings. (Do I look fat in this? You’re not fat.) When you say you’re going to be somewhere, do you show up? On time?
For those who said yes, that seems to be a rare commodity these days. A lot of people will say they’ll be at
an event, until something better comes along. Or because it’s easier not to go and to make excuses later.
Maybe I’m old school, but my word means a lot to me. I don’t want people to think I’m unreliable. You might be thinking that I’m talking about the younger generation, but you couldn’t be more wrong. The people I’m referring to are my age or older.
Ecclesiastes 5:5 states, It is better not to make a vow than to make one and not fulfill it. When did it become the norm to say you’d do something, and then you change your mind? Why do people think that is okay? It used to be your word was your bond.
Sometimes we say we’ll be there, then go home and look at our calendars and notice they already have a previous engagement. With smartphones today, this shouldn’t be an issue. And if it is, just say you need to check your calendar before you accept.
Unfortunately when someone backs out, it’s usually more a case of they’ve considered it and just don’t want to be bothered. I understand doing something new can be a terrifying prospect for some, but it’s always good to step out of your comfort zone at times. And if you’ve made an agreement, your word should outweigh your fear.
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In a world where vows are worthless. Where making a pledge means nothing. Where promises are made to be broken, it would be nice to see words come back into power. – Chuck Palahniuk – author
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I take people at their word. I try to help authors by inviting them to events, talking engagements, etc. If you say you’re going to be there, I assume you’ll show up on time unless there’s car trouble or illness. All it takes is once for me not to ask you again.
Unfortunately, that’s happened to me this past week and it’s not the first time. It makes me angry that people behave this way. You’re pretty much saying that you word means nothing, and I don’t really matter.
When you say you will be at a function, you should go out of your way to do it. It shows you’re honest and reliable. You can be counted on. The more you cut out on others, the less you will be invited.
Your word should be as good as money down. It’s always better to not have made the promise in the first place than to break it. Nobody likes it when you don’t live up to your word, so just take a step back and think before you agree. It’ll save everyone a lot of anxiety.
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