Do You Break Promises to Yourself?

Have you ever had someone ask a question that felt more like a swift kick in the pants? A couple years ago, I was not getting my stuff together for many reasons and I felt totally incapable and inadequate. A very smart person asked me a question that stung like a queen bee – “do you break promises to yourself?” I knew the answer immediately.

Honestly, yes. I knew the answer was yes, I do break promises to myself. Albeit, not on purpose, but yes. I say I’m going to do whatever and then I often don’t follow through with enough effort to complete the task timely.

When I started this year, I told myself that I wanted to do a lot of things. I feel like I’ve accomplished a lot but at the same time I have fallen short of what I really wanted.

One specific goal that I wanted to work on was developing a specific Bible Time. I wanted a strong habit established so that I have Bible Time everyday without fail.

I’ve learned that life with small kids is unpredictable and therefore my schedule is unpredictable too. Big surprise huh?

There were other things I wanted to do a better job on too. But I don’t want to beat myself up too bad. So I’ll start here and re-evaluate one goal at a time.

First thing to do when you reevaluate your goals is give yourself some grace.

Did I miss the goal because the bar was too high? Or because I didn’t prioritize  appropriately? For my situation, it’s a little of both. I have too much on my plate for sure. But I struggle with focus and keeping priorities first.

Anyone hear me out there?

Are you pulled in twelve different directions at the same time?

After you get honest, get real.

Now you need to decide on one thing that you want and go get it. If you’re tired of setting goals and not following through, it’s time to get real. What is it that keeps you from the finish line?

Time, priority, or both.

Stop breaking promises to yourself so you feel like you made it to the finish line well.

Here’s what you need to do to get back on track with anything you need to accomplish.

1) Think about where you want to be. For me, I want to consistently study the Word.

2) Consider a new deadline. Don’t think about the one that has passed. Give yourself grace here and a clean slate. Consider that you’re not back at ground zero, you’re somewhere in the middle of where you started and where you’ll end up.

3) Take inventory of what worked and what didn’t. For me, I was listening to the recommendation of early morning Bible study but this doesn’t work for me at this time. I often don’t sleep well and this makes mornings slow and groggy for me. It’s hard for me to study foggy headed. So I need to find another time and perhaps another method.

4) Come up with a new plan and a new timeline. Put it on paper. You know what you want, now use what you’ve learned and start again.

Do you break promises to yourself? It’s time to stop!