The Secret to Personal (and Business) Power

I’m not going to hold you in suspense. I’m just going to reveal the secret right up front.

Do what you say you’re going to do.

That’s it. If you get why that’s important, to yourself and to everyone in your business and life, you can stop reading.

If you’re not sure why that’s such a big deal, read on.

Every relationship, every connection you have in your business (and life) depends on trust. When they buy, your clients and customers are trusting you to deliver what you say you will, when you will, at the quality level that you promised.

Your partners trust you to live up to your agreements with them. Your team trusts you to provide the environment and information they need to do their jobs.

Bowing to your own personal convenience instead of matching your actions with your verbal commitments is never a good idea. It doesn’t serve the other person, and it sure doesn’t serve you.

This is particularly true in business situations. When you don’t do what you say you’re going to do, a little trust is eroded. If it’s a major miss, there can be a lot of trust gone and not easy to win back.

And if that’s not enough, when you don’t do what you say you’re going to do, you drain away a little of your own power. Power in, not power over. Power in knowing that you can rely on yourself.

That’s ultimately the biggest cost in not doing what you say you’re going to do. You eat away at your ability to rely on yourself. That’s a big price to pay.

When you stand in integrity with yourself, you build the self-confidence you need to be present to your life and your business in a way that reflects the best of you.

Do I ever fail at this? Sure. I’m not perfect. When I feel overwhelmed, it seems even harder to stick to a commitment.

None of us is perfect. The purpose of this article isn’t to flog yourself over past omissions and to wallow in regret.

The purpose, as always, is to reflect on what I’m saying here, and see what resonates with you.

If it feels like truth to you, then you can compassionately consider what you currently do in your business, and in your life.

Do you do what you say you’re going to do? If you don’t, then first look at what you are saying. Is what you’re saying in alignment with your intention?

This isn’t always so easy. Are you scared to say no, or is there pressure to say what someone wants to hear? At times, our courage is having a siesta when we most need it.

In these moments, give your courage a little nudge. It’s worth waking it up. Anything that puts you into alignment, into integrity with what you are willing to do, will give your personal power a little boost. Through that, your business gets a boost too.

Make doing what you say you’re going to do a habit, and you’ll have an ongoing source of energy that stems from your alignment with yourself, what you believe, and what you say and do. Now that’s power.

 

I would love to hear your response to this article. Please share your comments below.

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Here’s your Alchemy Assignment, your chance to transform what you learned in this article into awareness and action for you and your business:

Doing what you say you’re going to do isn’t easy in tough situations. It can help to stay in integrity, to do what you say you’re going to do, by planning ahead a little bit. Do you have a conversation or meeting coming up that you’re nervous about? It might be a client meeting, or a conversation with a partner. Think ahead about what you are willing to do, what you’re willing to commit to, so you can be in your power. You might need to say, ‘let me think about that’, before you commit. That’s ok. Even better than ok. Take that option when you need it in order to be clear within yourself.