The Power of Fulfilled Promise

Promises should be kept, not only during Christmas. The biggest challenge is to keep the promises that we gave ourselves. Voluntarily. Out of our best intentions. Improving our fitness. Improving our relationships with others. Or improving the way we give back to the society, to those, who are young and deserve our development support or who may not be as lucky as we are. We have to take our leadership, our personal initiative to surpass the hurdles on the way. We have to thrive to overcome our laziness or our hesitance to expose ourselves publicly. We have to be sure we can stand for our word. At any costs. Only then we will be able to look ourselves up in the mirror and feel relieved we have done our job.

Anthony Robbins (50), the American coaching guru, as a teenager lived for a while in poverty. When some stranger came to his family and brought food and gifts for Thanksgiving, Anthony has sworn that if he ever became successful, he wanted to share his fortune with others. Nowadays Anthony always does something nice for those in the need. Especially for Thanksgiving. He keeps his promise.

Bill Gates (55), famous philantroper and owner of charitable Foundation, several years ago joined the worldwide initiative End Poverty 2015. He is so committed to deliver on his promise, that he started in 2010 together with his wife Melinda and with Warren Buffet (80) an initiative ("Giving Pledge") asking top billionaires in the World to contribute at least half their net worth to charity, in their lifetimes or at death. And they were the first role models. Bill Gates donated 30+ billion USD already. Warren Buffet plans to give to charity 99% of his fortune i.e. 44 bil. USD at death. This kind of leadership is revolutionary and unheard of. The fact that Bill means it honestly and does not use it only as a self promo campaign, the fact that the second richest man in the world is ready to share his fortune with others to tackle AIDS, tuberculosis, polio or to fund famine-resistant crops to fight hunger, creates high social buzz. He stands for his word. He started to understand the reason why he had the gift to rule the world of the Rich. Because he can now give back more than others.

We do not have to commit as much as Bill Gates or as Warren Buffet do. We do not have to wait to be 50+. It is sometimes enough if we volunteer our time to the good cause or share just small amounts from our income. NOW. Immediately.

Different people live different lives, give different promises, have different possibilities. But only true leaders create the difference. They demonstrate their determination and are ready to give back to the society, to the people around them and to their family. They show they have not forgotten their roots. They have learned that by giving others they give something warm and nice mainly to themselves. They award themselves with self fulfillment. And they become instantly much more rich.

What promises do you plan to give yourself NOW? Or for the New Year?