I like what Michelle Gielan has to say about keeping your promises.
"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."
An example of not keeping promises and breaking down trust in a relationship is the stormy and sad marriage of Sofya and Leo Tolstoy. Reading their diaries was difficult for me. They both promised to be there for one another, and they both yearned to be understood, yet through their many years together they couldn't or wouldn't give that gift to one another.
Leo Tolstoy: "Nobody will ever understand me."Sofya Tolstoy: "He has never taken the trouble to understand me, and does not know me in the least."
Source: Source: William L. Shirer. Love and Hatred: The Troubled Marriage of Leo & Sonja Tolstoy. 1994. backcover.
Poll: Do you keep your word? Vote!
Another Reason to Keep Your Promises originally appeared on About.com Marriage on Tuesday, May 27th, 2014 at 00:10:05.
