Making Promises That Matter

I'm not fond of making promises.

The small ones are fine ("See you later at eight"), but not the really big ones ("I have to get promoted this year"). Is it because I'm scared of breaking them? No. It's just that I see the future as ever-changing in a world where lots of new things can happen in a year. All I can do is keep an unwavering eye on the horizon, and make the leap when the right ship sails by.

I'm not the sort who makes resolutions every New Year.

But you know what? Not being able to come up with concrete goals ("Earn more than USD100,00 per annum") is no excuse why I can't at least come up with some mission statements to focus and work on.

Resolutions are for the weak

The Lovely 8ight

Alright, here goes my list of promises:

 

• Enchant: Smile more, and widen the smiles of people around me
• Enlighten: Learn more things that I don't know, and teach others about things that I do
• Endure: Be patient, ride the storm and stay the course in my pursuit for paradise
• Empathise: See the world through the eyes of others, feel their joys and sorrows
• Empower: Draw power from the strong, drive power to the weak
• Exchange: Take only what I need, give away all that I can
• Evangelise: Preach about principles, and practise what I preach
• Evolve: Grow from a good person to an even better person

Promises That Matter

That's quite a lot of promises to keep.

All sounds rather lofty and vague. But that's okay. Making promises is not about crunching numbers and ticking boxes. When I have made good on my promises, I will know.

We shouldn't make resolutions only because it's a brand new year. We should make small resolutions every single day, and big resolutions that will last a lifetime.

Yes, that's what the list above is about.

Promises with purpose. Promises that make a difference.

Promises to keep as long as I'm still alive and able. Promises for now and always.