A lesson in integrity
Do you ever set out to do something and it doesn't get done? You know, the dentist appointment you keep rescheduling, that burnt out light in your kitchen. Maybe it's your taxes or those "non-urgent" emails. Whatever it is, you'll do it later, tomorrow, in a little bit...
I have these giant yellow post-its that I use to capture lists, memos, and 'to dos'. Sometimes a to-do under Monday creeps into Friday and then I'm like, 'what the heck? how did you get here?'. And it's always the simplest of tasks. For real - 'drop off dry cleaning'. And yet a reusable tote sits in my hallway, full of blouses and wrinkled dresses from a Mexico trip I took in February..it's now May, I get it. #safespace
It's not about the dry cleaning, it never is, it's about me saying I am going to do X (dry cleaning) by Y (Monday..Friday?). Again, I will do X by Y time.
You may say, "Jess - who cares, your unpressed shirts will live" Fair. And in this example my word impacts me and no one else. It's a commitment that no one else sees or hears about so naturally I let myself off the hook.
It doesn't matter to anyone else if 'Dry Cleaning' moves from Monday to Friday. However, it's something I gave my word to, in my head and on my giant yellow sticky. AND I either do or I don't by a certain time. It's that simple.
You may have some 'dry cleaning' in your life. If you do, awesome, and I invite you to get curious about the impact. In other words, who is affected when you give your word to something and don't commit to it? Yourself? Your friends? Significant other? And if you continue to disregard your word here, there and everywhere, what's the cost? Your peace of mind? Friendships? Trust?
I don't know because I'm not there, in your life. All I know is that my dry cleaning is leaving early tomorrow morning and I look forward to wearing my freshly steamed party dress once again.
With love,
Jess