The Value Of A Promise

Disappointment of a Broken Promise Stays with a Child Forever.

Promises are not made to be broken. A promise, a person's word, is something that should be held with dignity and respect. After all, if you have nothing, and you offer a promise, then that promise should be as good as gold. People sometimes forget how importance of keeping their word. And a promise, however small or large, should always be kept....no matter what!!! It's not difficult to keep a promise. If I make a promise to someone, I keep it. It is plain and simple, or I do not make that promise in the first place. The consequences of not keeping a promise can be far more devastating, than performing the actual promise itself.

I noticed my boys got very sad after getting a promise broken. I realized that if I offered a promise, then I had better keep my word. So, I learned that in order to prevent sad faces and hurt feelings, it was easier to keep my promise. When I made a promise to take my boys for a day at the beach, then I would take them like I said I would.

It was through my children that I learned the value of keeping my word. After a few slip-ups, I began to realize really how important it was that I kept my promises. Simply telling my boys that we would go to the beach another time...("I promise, I will take you tomorrow") was a promise that needed to be kept. I started calling it my 'promising theory' and it was originally initiated when the boys were still babies.

People need to realize that our children take us for our word. And when we break a promise simply due to laziness or complacency, a chain reaction occurs. One of mistrust or resentment that can affect our entire well being. And sadly, we tend to remember bad experiences much longer than the times of joy. Hence, grudge holding comes into play, but that's an entirely different hub.

A promise can create anticipation and happiness for children and adults alike. With a promise we get inspired, we get hopeful, anticipation sets in and we raise our expectations for a particular event to occur. All these emotions are set into play while we ride it out until the appointed promise-fulfillment time. I find nothing more satisfying that hearing the squeals of joy that a child experiences when a promise is being fulfilled. However, things can turn very ugly when the promise gets broken. While we do remember promises that were kept, it is unfortunate that the sad memories of broken promises somehow stick with us through our adulthood.

What I've learned is that if I make a promise, then I keep it, with absolutely no exceptions. Otherwise the wisest move is not to ever promise anything in the first place. I always choose my words wisely and I make sure that if I utter the words, "I Promise", then that's exactly what I will do. It seems like a fair solution. It's far more difficult to experience disappointment from a broken promise, than actually keeping the promise. It’s just not worth it.

If you make a promise, keep it!