..... because I said I would!

After a lovely 3 days at the ‘Happening’ Las Vegas, we had taken a colourful Southwest Airline flight to Tampa in Florida USA, where my in laws stay. It was a long flight of about 7 hours (WOW! That’s quite a distance locally, isn’t it?). Being a local flight, there wasn’t any in-house entertainment. As the flight took off, Arpita (my wife) dozed off! Since, I wasn’t sleepy, I picked up a magazine in the seat pocket and started browsing. I chanced upon this awesome article about a person named Alex Sheen!

Alex was another of those normal technical guys who graduated and started working for a software firm. Things were going normal until he came to know that his father had cancer. After a brief fight, his father passed away on 4^th September 2012. He loved his father and was very close to him. He wanted to honour his father and keep him always alive in his memory.

After thinking about various options, he came up with something unique. His father was great at keeping promises. Hence he created a brilliant thing called – PROMISE CARDS. He instructs people to fill out these Promise Cards and give them to the person they make the promise to. Once the promise is kept, they get the card back.

These Promise Cards were loved by people. So much so, that he launched a non-profit organization in the name of – ‘Because I Said I Would.’ They have sent more than 250,000 Promise Cards in over 82 countries!

I wondered – Aren’t there many instances when we promise something and end up not doing it at all? Maybe we will start, but won’t continue to pursue it! Here I am not talking about situations where someone forces us to take a decision. A decision, which I have myself made. Afterall, haven’t we commonly heard people say – New Year Resolutions are meant to be broken!

I am of a staunch opinion that whatever happens I must never ever break any resolution/ promise/ decision etc (what ever you like to call it ..) that I have given. That promise might be to myself, to my parents, my friends, my siblings, my relatives, my teachers, and so many more. There is no point in just saying things on the spot and later realizing that it was over commitment. I would rather, take some time to think before committing. But, once I commit, come what may I should and would do that, which I have said! It can be the smallest of things –

·      Keeping up the promise given to my spouse of brushing my teeth every night.

·      Waking up at a time I have set the alarm to.

·      Leaving for office at a time I have declared at home.

·      Living upto the resolution of dropping 4 kgs in four months.

·      Returning phone calls of people at time/ day I have told them that I would.

·      Controlling my spikes of anger at the smallest and biggest thing happening around me, as decided by me in the motivational training program I did.

These are just small day-to-day examples. We can carry it for larger perspectives of lives too – achieving the goal I have decided to; playing for the national football team that I always dreamt of; not just being a housewife but also creating an identity for myself, which I did before getting married; pursuing a hobby that I cherish doing; and so on!

I firmly believe that living to my own promises, is the biggest victory I can give myself. There will be people around who will appreciate me. But, why wait for people to tell me that I am good? If I can live upto my own promises, I wouldn’t need to wait for anyone to praise me! I would grow in my own eyes!

Such has been the impact of Alex Sheen in my life, that before I am about to commit anything, his face pops up and reminds me that if I am committing, it better be fulfilled! When such a question pops up, I tell myself – I will do it ….. “….. because I said I would!