The Power of Honoring Self-Promises
When you begin a Transformation process and set important health and fitness goals, you must promise yourself you will finish what you start, no matter what. That vow, although it might be easy to break, is by far one of the most important ones to honor. You see, the very essence of confidence is self-trust. If you’ve developed a pattern of not honoring self-promises, this is a great time to make a change. If you can’t honor, trust, and depend on your own word, well… that may be the root of a lot of the challenges in your life — a lot more than you realize.
Most people have a very hard time answering the simple question, “Do I keep my word to myself?” Or, I should say, they have a hard time answering it honestly.
The thing about lying to ourselves is we never, ever get away with it. On the surface, we may fool our minds into ignoring or not admitting what we’re doing, but deep down, in the place where all truth resides for each of us, in the place where we know and see ourselves as we really are — in that place, we are causing pain and damage every time we are not totally honest with ourselves.
For example, when you know darn well, deep down inside, that you should be doing something and you’re not, like exercising regularly, like eating right, like starting and finishing a 12-week transformation plan, you’re lying to yourself. Do it often enough, and your self-trust — your confidence — will fade away. Into that emptiness will seep uncertainty, anxiety, stress, and sometimes anger.
It doesn’t have to be like that though. No matter how long it has been like that, it doesn’t have to stay that way. Contrary to what many people think, it’s a lot easier to keep the promises we make to ourselves than it is to break them.
Keeping those promises unleashes enormous energy and potential. That potential emptiness created by self-deception will become filled with strength, certainty — and yes, confidence — if you honor self-promises. (We’ve all heard the phrase, “The truth shall set you free.” Well, nowhere is that more true than when we apply it to our relationship with ourselves.)
When you set health and fitness goals, you must promise yourself you will finish and not quit, no matter what adversity gets in your way. Never, ever give up! Make your promise to yourself upfront, that you will keep going and remind yourself of that promise every day. This is not something to take lightly. This promise must be treated as earnestly as a vow you make under oath. Approach it with that feeling, and you will keep it. And when you succeed, you will feel the transformation inside even more than others see it on the outside. That, by the way, is a promise.
Bill Phillips Fitness News 
Thank YOU !!!
One step at a time, if need be, one hour at a time may be the way to success. No matter what life throws at you, come back positively, one little bit at a time day by day and you’ll make your way!
These words that are written here are the absolute truth. I dont know how your writing gets to the “absolute core” of my feelings-but you’re right on target today. Almost scary to think of what we become when we dont honor ourselves.
Thank you Bill!
This came at the most needed time for me.
I was trying to finish my 2nd attempt from “scratch” at my 2013 BOT essay . (I lost the first one from computer accidentally) The “quitting” thought was entering my mind.
Then I saw this email.
I have renewed energy now!
With gratitude
Teri O.
Bill, you are the man, I will finish what I started from this point on. Thanks.
Carlos Cruz
Thank you for the timely post! Bill speaks with wisdom from the heart. Two key points: honoring self promises releases energy and purpose and “old habits wait forever”. In the book,
Power of Habit, research studies have provided that all habits good or bad remain but that new habits can also be developed as they are strengthened consistently through use.
Thanks for the daily encouragement at the beginning of our journey, Bill.
always enjoyed the knowledge you’ve shared, I have been able to meet all my goals over the yrs. I use to set up in bed at night reading my supplement Bible, my wife would so upset, Lol ? Does EAS still exsist? I haven’t been able to get anything in awhile.
Hi Russ,
Thank you for your message and support. Bill sold EAS many years ago but he now has a new product line called Right Nutrition. You can check out Bill Phillips’ new products online at http://www.EatingRight.com — we ship worldwide. ~Maria Phillips
I’ve read and re-read this several times in the last couple of days. You have absolutely identified what I think is one of the biggest (if not THE biggest) obstacles I face in my effort to improve my weight, health and fitness. I’ve let myself down so many times that I struggle with believing myself capable of finishing the course and reaching my goals any more. Fortunately I have a strong little circle of support who continues to encourage me, and gratefully your blog article came at an absolutely critical time for me – I’d just started the Back-on-Track challenge and I had specifically set a goal to incorporate 3 healthy behaviors into my daily life for the next 3 weeks in hopes of turning those behaviors into habits that would carry me through the 12 week challenge. It would be easy and typical for me to stick with my plan for 4 or 5 days and then crumble, which has so often been the case that it wouldn’t even feel like a failure any more. I would be mildly disappointed in myself, embarrassed to find myself in the same situation yet again, and continue feeling discouraged with my weight and fitness level, but not really do anything about it for another few weeks (or months…) THANK YOU for helping me identify what I truly believe is the obstacle of all obstacles for me! I’m determined to learn to be honest with myself and keep promises to myself as I move forward toward my goals. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Keeping promises to others and to yourself will ensure your success in almost any area of life and work. if you have the patience and determination, you will surely achieve what you are aiming for.