I’ve coached people worldwide for close to 7 years now, and I’ve developed a good grasp of the types of people who are able to quickly change their lives and achieve their dreams. Let’s talk about personal integrity.

If there’s one factor I can narrow it down to, it’s the ability to KEEP THEIR WORD. Basically, that means they do exactly what they say they will do. No ifs, no buts, no excuses.They are the “whatever it takes” type of people. This is why in today’s blog post, I want to spend time discussing this quality in particular.

It seems almost too simple, but the surprising reality in life and business is most people simply DO NOT keep their word.

“I’ll send you that email at 5pm” … and at 5pm, you don’t hear from the person. They sheepishly send you the email at 11.30pm at night.

“I’ll meet you next Thursday for lunch” … and just before you go to the meeting place, they text you with a reason they can’t show up.

Does that sound familiar?

This inability to keep to promises is extremely damaging to personal success – but not for the reasons you think. See, when you don’t keep your word, the person that’s affected the most is actually YOU. Because subconsciously, you are training your mind to discount the things that you say. You develop a self-image of being an unreliable person, and here’s the thing – you won’t trust yourself.

You won’t follow through on your goals. You won’t go the extra mile. You will simply push it off with excuses, just like you do with other people in your life–and this ducking and skirting of personal responsibility is how people end up with a mess of a life.

Too many broken promises, unaccomplished projects, and unfinished loose ends in life – leading to depression, anxiety and anger.And that’s not mentioning the loss of reputation and credibility that comes with not keeping your word. People notice when you sneak into a meeting 10 minutes late, or get the work done days after you’ve promised.

But the good news is you can make a REAL change right now.

It’s as simple as keeping your word. Only promise what you can deliver, and watch what you promise. You’ll have to catch yourself at the start because it’s easy to say yes to anything, only to find out it’s way harder (and different) than you thought.

Instead, hold back on agreeing to everything. Ask questions and find out more – and only when you decide that you will whole-heartedly commit to doing it will you promise.Do this for a week, and more importantly keep the promises you make to yourself.

• Go to the gym, like you said you would.
• Write that letter to your friend, like you said you would.

What you will find is that you start to grow in confidence and self-esteem. You don’t feel as stressed anymore, because you aren’t over-burdening yourself with commitments and promises you can’t fulfill.

In fact, every promise you keep strengthens you inside. That’s the feeling of living in INTEGRITY.

And that’s a strong, powerful feeling that will give you the momentum you need to take your life to the next level. So remember, only promise what you can deliver and keep your word.