When it comes to creating effective action and results, engagement is important-very important. But it primarily speaks to way of being.
And any conversation for action that creates effective action and results is going to have some stellar doing involved also. I can be super involved, enthusiastic and committed to a project or initiative and still create a stupendous mess of it.
In our work we really emphasize way of being, because in our culture we minimize the criticality of being and sell out to the end-all-be-all of doing.
But the fact is how you do what you do can and does matter.
Two conversations that generate action are making promises and making requests. When promises and requests are done with commitmentand integrity, they create an opening for effective action and the desired results.
Once things are in motion through a promise made or a request accepted, accountabilitykeeps things on course.
We are going to focus on “promise” today.
A promise is a declaration, written or verbal, made by one person to another, which binds the person who makes it either in honor, conscience, or law to do or forbear a certain act. A declaration that gives the person to whom it was made a right to expect or claim the performance of forbearance of the act. – Noah Webster’s 1828 Dictionary
A promise generates a commitment to fulfill an action. A promise is a clear statement of intention that you will do what you said.
There are at least two kinds of promises-explicit and implicit. An explicit promise is clearly stated……here is an example. “I will meet you at the coffee shop at 2:00 pm today.”
An implicit promise is one that is assumed or implied. For example, when a child is born and is being raised, there are implicit promises from the parent that the child assumes that they will be taken care of and nurtured.
How we relate to and act on the promises we make in our life has a direct impact on our experience of living, the quality of our relationships and the results we create.
The way you relate to the promises you have made cuts to the heart of how you relate to your word and your integrity.
Noticing this, self observing it, and reflecting on it can lead directly to the discovery of limiting belief systems, attitudes and internal conversations that are currently not in your awareness but are having a significant impact in your life.
Getting clear about the crucible of promise is a fundamental building block to effective action and results.
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