…bring some clarity to your commitments….

We all do it. We all feel the pressure of being in lots of places at the same time. We all know what it\’s like to say “yes” when we really want to say “no”.

We make promises. We wish we hadn\’t made promises. Sometimes we renege on those promises. But mostly we make the commitment, stick by the commitment and, whether we like it or not, perform on that promise.

Keeping a commitment or a promise is a major deposit and breaking one is a major withdrawal. Stephen Covey taught us that. Keeping our commitments to others puts us in good stead with our kids, our spouses, our parents, our employees, our boss and our buddies at the office.

And did you know that some say that every time we don\’t keep a commitment to our self, we eat away at our self-esteem, bit by bit. Really, how can we feel good about ourselves if we can\’t keep our promises?

Take a look at the promises and commitments you\’ve made to others and yourself. I\’d be willing to bet that the list is pretty long. After all, we have so many who need us. So many places to be! Weren\’t we raised pretty much on Mr. Frost\’s philosophy about those roads diverging? You know, the ones in the Yellow Wood? “…But I have promises to keep and miles to go before I sleep?” Wouldn\’t it be cool to just chuck it all and take that other road, the one diverging and leading to who knows where?

I know there\’s not a woman or man reading this who doesn\’t know that weary feeling of too many commitments and not enough hours in the day.

Take a look at your commitments; take a look at the motivation behind them. Do you make some commitments to others for the wrong reasons? Maybe you say yes when you want to say no, but the desire to please gets in the way. Maybe you commit out of guilt, maybe you commit because you want to be liked. Maybe you simply commit because somewhere along the way you never really learned how to say NO!

And, of course, if we\’re what I refer to as “commitment junkies”, then guess what, we probably don\’t keep precious time for commitments to ourselves. You know who you are!

So here\’s some practical advise, for what\’s it worth, from a not-so-perfect woman (me) to anyone who wants to listen. Take some time and think about the commitments you have made in the last week. Were your reasons for making them good for you and the other person? Did you feel resentful, put upon, guilty when you made these commitments?
What could you have done differently?

Go ahead. Bring some clarity to your commitments.

Log on to www.businesswomenconnect.com and read our 7-Day Plan for bringing clarity to your commitments.

Linda Rendleman