Does it matter to fulfill one’s word? Or is it that if words are gone with the wind, then who cares… The key is in who’s listening.
Phrases about the value of one’s word like “as good as one’s word”, “my word is my bond”, “eat one’s words” and more have long persisted in our collective knowledge. One of those phrases echoes in my mind: As good as one’s word. I ask myself, why not “as good as one’s actions?” Or “as good as one’s ideas?”
Let’s put all three to the test by figuring out with which one I can generate more value.
I fully own with the questions: Can I start it? Can I avoid it? Can I select? Can I allow someone else to be aware of it (thoughts, words & speech)?
Ideas
I can start to think about something at anytime yes, but I cannot avoid to think about something if I see it, hear it, smell it… For instance, if I tell you just now: do not think about a pink elephant! You just did.
Am I driving when it comes to ideas? Not entirely, not all the time. The mind seems to have a reactive motion that is automatically triggered by myself or by any other stimuli I perceive.
Words
I can start speaking about any topic, yes, and also choose which words to use depending on who I’m talking to. I can also avoid to speak when I don’t want to, even when asked to do so. Like when I decide to keep silent if asked to speak about something that I don’t feel talking about.
Seems that I am more in control of the words I use than the ideas I think of. I have more of a handle on what words I use and it’s not necessarily a reactive action as I can chose to speak or not.
FEELINGS
I can decide when to start feeling a certain way. I can not avoid feeling a certain way I don’t want to. Ex. being shamed. I can decide what feelings to experience. I can allow someone else to know what I’m feeling.
Seems I’ve got it! It is the second question that reveals the value of one’s WORD. Since it is the only one of the three I can fully control at will then it is totally my responsibility. I mean, if someone else can trigger an image of that pink elephant in my mind, then I do not own/control my mind entirely. There’s a part of it that is automatically connected to something and/or someone else. In the case of the mind I can not be as good as my thoughts, because not all of my thoughts are mine! Not are all my feelings which can also be triggered from the outside. But my words are entirely mine to choose.
Back to the post’s origin question: Why does it matter to fulfill one’s word. Ok, so if I go hiking today because: I saw a video about it and can’t stop thinking of hiking… Then by completing the hike I fulfilled in part what someone else convinced me of. Someone said something about my holiday weight and I feel obligated to burn it… Also, by completing the hike I fulfilled in part what someone else convinced me of. I said I will go to the hike, even if I was convinced about it. Then I made the hike my own because I could have kept shut and say nothing but I chose to say it. So, while thoughts and feeling are necessary, it is through words that I make an experience my own, because I’ll always have the option to be silent about it. It is only through the fulfillment of my word that I matter, that I materialize myself, not what others make me think or feel. Now, what if I didn’t fulfilled what I said. Good one! Well: If I didn’t fulfill on my word and someone knows it well I’ve lost credibility… And I will have to make up for it. Now to the more interesting part. If I didn’t fulfill on my word and no one noticed, what happens? Am I off the hook? Hehe not really… Because we’ve been gifted with an unconscious and literal mind that governs all automatic responses of ourselves, it is this little guy’s job to keep literal note of everything. So if I didn’t fulfill my unconscious will know and will AUTOMATICALLY allow missing on promises! That’s a tough one to swallow. Do you want your unconscious mind, the 85% of your mind to work against you? Maybe this is why we say YOLO (You Only Live Once). Because only when we’ve aligned ideas, words and feelings in an experience is that we are truly Alive. Doesn’t matter if it’s on the first or tenth attempt, there’s only one solution to Live Fully = recognize the ideas, say what you want, feel accordingly and make it happen.
Now, to wrap it up nicely, let’s see what the full moon eclipse tell us about the thoughts, word, feelings. Just like the alignment of the Sun, Earth and Moon leads to transformations (good or bad, just transformations), the alignment of thoughts (which like the Sun are everywhere), words (that like the earth create) and feelings (which like the moon provoque action) also leads to my transformation. Oh great! Nice and powerful!