Have you ever had promises made to you? By your parents or another significant person in your life? I’m sure you have just as I have. It’s amazing how promises made and kept affect us! Most assuredly, promises made and broken do have an affect on us as well.
I remember as a child the promise my dad made to me to help with the ease of a transitional move, from a city to a much smaller town. I had been an active dancer for over 7 years, ballet, jazz you name it. I was PASSIONATE about dancing! The discipline, the performing, the competitions, everything about dance I loved! It was a huge part of my young life, 3-4 times a week I was in the studio.
When my dad took the job that helped him ‘move up the ladder’ with the corporation he worked for for over 22 years of his life, he promised that he would supply another passion of mine, as I would have to surrender my ballet slippers, which of course was devastating for me to say the least. With new hope in my heart due to dad’s promise to me, I anticipated that promise with great joy….. a horse! If I couldn’t dance again I would ride my horse with the wind blowing in my face!
However, I never did see that horse. For one reason or another the promise was not able to be fulfilled. I was not bitter nor did I hold anger towards my dad for not keeping his promise, I was just sad.
One thing I am learning and will continue to do so as I journey through life is that there is an art to credibility, the quality of being believable or worthy of trust. It is not that difficult really to create or develop credibility, it is really quite simple. It has to be. I’m a firm believer that life has to be kept simple. I didn’t say easy but simple, yes.
When we don’t do what we say we are going to do, this does not create an atmosphere of credibility, quite the opposite. And it is not just in the large promises (like getting a horse 
, that we make to ourselves and others, it really is in the small everyday things we say. When we practice being true to our word in the small daily things, a foundation is being built in us.
Foundations are always built one brick at a time. And when it comes to credibility, we start by keeping our word and commitment. In the everyday life we live, when we set goals and do them we feel better about ourselves. In contrast, when we don’t do what we say we’re going to do we feel bad and have to battle with low self-esteem.
The art of credibility is doable for all!! It’s simple. It’s fun! And everyone including ourselves will love us for it!
Love, Kristen Olynick