Your Personal Gold Standard
Back in the old days, the US currency was backed by gold. When you gave someone a dollar that dollar was actually backed by gold in the treasury. If someone took paper money from you, they knew it was literally as good as gold.
I've recently been thinking about the Power of Words and what power do words really have? I've known many people skilled in using words to influence, persuade, and get people to take action. I've known many people who are able to make big and exciting promises. I've known many people who become addicted to making people feel good with their promises and their words. I've known far fewer who can do that and follow through on those promises.
Think about what would happen if someone gave you money and then when you went to spend it, you found out it was fake, that it wasn't really backed by Gold. It was really not worth anything at all. How long would you continue to accept money from that person? How long would you accept money at all?
In large part, we are only known by our behaviors. The way we commit to other people what we will do and won't do is usually through language - our words. It is in essence our currency. If people don't believe what we say, then, in time we will have no ability to get things done, to influence, to persuade, to sell, to teach, to love...
So how strong is your personal currency? Is your word backed by Gold or is it worthless? Counterfeit? Is it a waste of a perfectly good piece of paper? Is your currency inflated?
As we begin a new year, personally I'm re-committing myself to do better at only making commitments I intend to honor and know that I can and will honor. I've seen more trouble over the past year with people making and breaking commitments. Their words are cheap. That currency is easy to spend because its counterfeit. Plenty more where that came from.
Words have power when backed up by real action. We have power when our words are as good as Gold. Make honest, sincere commitments and when you can't don't. If you thought you could and now you can't then be honest. You can almost always go back and re-negotiate, if you take the first step.
Think about it as you continue to plan for who you want to become during 2010.
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