I did a 10 wk course on integrity (yep, I know) and the biggest take away was how much we all undervalue our words.

We make light promises, to others and ourselves, and don't keep them. We talk with no intentionally, as if words mean nothing.

Our word loses all its power https://twitter.com/visakanv/status/1293265193825312768

Words having power sounds woo-wy. But I realised that's because we live in a world where we've accepted our words as empty. Insignificant.

I'm still occasionally bad at keeping my word (heck I've promised threads I haven't gotten around to) but 100x better than before

I have a respect for my words that I've never had before. Now, before I promise something or say yes, I pause and see if I'll be able keep my word.

I also notice what I'm saying. Is it honest (is it an accurate representation of my internal state?) If not, I try not to say it

Before that course I was almost always late. I'd say I'd be somewhere at a certain time and then misjudge my timing. I'd feel guilty but I felt helpless to it.

After, I began to prioritise arriving on time because I'd said I would. Restoring power/small wins as Visa said

Again I'm still occasionally late. There's no perfection here just a constant WIP. But the change in my relationship to my word has been low-key magical

The weirdest after effect was when I began to notice that most people also saw their words as near worthless. It messed with my head for a while