Because I Said I Would

A single promise can change a life forever. And every promise has a story. Alex Sheen’s story begins with the words “Because I Said I Would.” “Because I Said I Would” bears the name of the eulogy Sheen delivered at his father’s funeral. It paid tribute to a man of his word who always kept his promises.

Seizing on that theme, Sheen distributed promise cards to those at the funeral, encouraging each cardholder to write down a promise and then give that card to someone else, perhaps the person to whom the promise was being made. That person would then return the card to the promise-maker once the promise had been fulfilled. He resolved to shift how the world views commitment and accountability, and what started during grief is now an international social mission to better humanity through promises made and kept.

Words hold immense power and emotion for us. Words are building blocks of your existence and they reflect the integrity of their creator. There are many ways we measure a person’s worth, or our own worth, and perhaps none other evokes as much emotion as keeping your word.

Since words hold power, it’s important to speak words that hold positive intentions and always be prepared to keep your word to others, as they reflect your intentions and integrity.

Keeping promises is difficult. It’s ironic that "Because I Said I Would" focuses on words because what you say doesn’t matter; it’s what you do that counts.

When we don't keep a promise to someone, it communicates to that person that we don't value him or her. We have chosen to put something else ahead of our commitment. Even when we break small promises, others learn that they cannot count on us. Tiny fissures develop in our relationships marked by broken promises.

We are not only communicating all of this to others, we are telling ourselves that we don't value our own word. We think it is okay to let someone down, say something we don't mean, or fail to follow through on something we said we would do. Not keeping a promise is the same as disrespecting yourself. Ultimately it can harm our self-image, self-esteem, and our life.

Trust is built through a series of experiences shared with others. When behavior is consistent, faith in the relationship develops. When promises have been broken, the bonds of trust are breached.

Every time you give your word, you’re putting your honor on the line. You’re implying that others can place their trust in you because you value integrity and would never let them down. It goes without saying that if you don’t live up to your word, you may end up tarnishing your credibility, damaging your relationships, and defaming your reputation. Most importantly, you’ll be letting yourself down.

When you operate with complete integrity, what you say will be taken at face value, your intentions will be assumed honorable, and your handshake will be as good as a contract. Most importantly, you can take great pride in the standards that you’ve set for yourself and sleep well at night knowing that your conscience is clear.  After all, a promise is a promise, and since tomorrow is never promised, it’s what you do today that will be remembered.