Have you ever broken a promise to yourself? I’ve done it many times throughout my life, and have gotten so much better at not letting myself down in the last few years. But I was about to do it a
few days ago…I had to make a
big decision that involved a great
investment of money and, even though I was very excited about it, I was also feeling very scared and the energy was very dense. I felt a lot of contraction.
So, I took my time, sat with it and asked myself where was this coming from because I know that sometimes it’s just fear that gets in the way, but this time, it felt different…and all of a sudden, it hit me! I remembered that I had recently listened to a Podcast where Carrie Wilkerson was being interviewed, and she was saying that a lot of us tend to break the promises to ourselves because we want what’s now, instead of what’s best. She mentioned a quote by Zig Ziglar that said: “we need to stop giving up what we want most for what we want right now”.
OMG, that was the answer! that was the reason for the dense energy and the contraction! So, I had to have that brave conversation with myself, where I had to set clear boundaries and expectations with myself. This reminded me that setting goals and achieving them, running our lives and businesses, and having balance and boundaries, is about making some promises to ourselves AND keeping those promises.
I had promised myself that I wouldn’t get into debt again, unless it was strictly necessary, an emergency or something that I knew would bring a return on investment. This investment represented breaking that promise to myself, that’s why there was a big disconnect and, energetically, it felt so out of alignment. I just had to reconnect with what I wanted most again.
I wonder, what have you promised to yourself lately? Is that promise working during certain times only, eating healthier, exercising more consistently, working on your relationships, saving some money, paying off debt? Whatever it is, we have to have a conversation with ourselves about what we will allow ourselves to get away with. There have to be negotiables and non-negotiables.
Everything starts with us getting super clear and saying to ourselves what is non-negotiable in our personal life and career or business life; and then, getting clear on what is negotiable. When we are clear with ourselves, it makes it easier to be consistent and have brave conversations with other people as well. The key is to be decisive about our boundaries and stop making exceptions, so we can keep those promises to ourselves.
Think about it, it’s hard for us to have trust and confidence
5 Steps for Keeping Promises
to Yourself
by Patricia Young
March 2017 | ElementsForAHealthierLife.com | 15