Promises, promises

There's nothing like an election campaign to remind us how easily promises are made, and broken. Political parties and politicians seem to have that down to a fine art.

Maybe we make it easy for them by continuing to vote for them. And then not holding our politicians accountable. Cynical? Maybe I am a bit when it comes to politics.

It got me thinking about the promises we make too. Do I make good on my promises? Do you?

A promise is a declaration or assurance that one will do something or that a particular thing will happen. A promise doesn't always include the words “I promise”.

“For every promise, there is a price to pay” - Jim Rohn

We all know the disappointment that comes with a broken promise, no matter how small. We know how disappointed we are when we break a promise.

The worst disappointment is often experienced when we break a promise to ourselves. When no one else is involved and our best intentions fail us. Or when our promise isn't backed by a clear action plan and fizzles out into nothing.

The price we pay for a broken promise may be small, but there is a price - always.

“An ounce of performance is worth pounds of promises” - Mae West

We, and our politicians, will do well to remember that an ounce of performance is worth pounds of promises. Action is the boss of all promises. Action indeed speaks louder than words.

To make a difference requires action. To improve yourself, your team, your business, your country or the world requires action, not promises.

The election is over. By all accounts it was a great triumph for democracy. I'm grateful and thrilled at how far we've come in 20 years.

Our politicians have their work cut out for them. We all look forward to see progress and real change. We need it to move forward as a nation.

They promised. We promise. It's time for action - for all of us.