This lesson learned comes mainly from two verses that have lingered with me for a while now. I’ve also learned that implementing this Lesson Learned is far from easy and that it is surprising how many professionals easily sway their commitments when times are tough. I’m not perfect by any means and I’m sure I do the same. That said, it’s something that takes consistent effort and attention to try and do well.
Matthew 5:37 – Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.
James 5:12 – But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.
I try very hard to be a person that when I say Yes or No to something, I then do whatever I can within my power to keep it that way.
To be a person of your “word” is a very powerful thing.
It should be predictable. If I tell someone I’ll do something, I’ll do it. If I’ve planned something with you, I want you to never doubt if I’ll follow through with it.
The opposite of that is being willing to say No and not just pacify people.
Have you ever tried to buy something from someone locally (Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, etc.) and the seller is coordinating with you to come see the item and then you get the infamous text “Hey, I just sold it to someone else”
Or what about a friend who you were planning to hang out with, you had it scheduled… you both were talking about it and then they send you something like “I’m so sorry, something came up and I can’t make it.”
Maybe you’ve been in position of having something on the books and then something else, potentially more exciting for you, comes up and you find yourself weighing “Well I could bail on my other plans and spend time with this person… or I would really enjoy doing this other thing more than what I already had planned”.
What about, at work, you have a project land on your plate that is due by 5pm on Friday. What if there is a work trip and you’ve coordinated with others to leave at 7am on morning from the parking lot together…
Before you say Yes or No to something… weigh it out.
- Are other things already on your plate that you’d have to move?
- Will you realistically be able to accomplish whatever it is?
- Are you willing to say Yes or No to other things to accomplish whatever it is you just said you’d do?
- Do you want to do whatever the action is OR do you find yourself not really wanting to do it?
To try and be clear, I’m saying be intentional. I’m not saying be rigid or non-committal. Be a trustworthy person who does what they say they’ll do and then put in place a thoughtful approach in how you commit, or don’t commit, to things.
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