Giving your word.

[notoppings]

How important do you treat your given word?
When you promise something do you treat it as an serious obligation?
Are there different levels to your word?
Do you ever make promises that you don't keep?
Is your word the same in private as it is in business?
Do you consider a contract a form of promise?

[TheLastMohican]

To date there is one promise that I made that I have not yet come through on. However, I have not broken it; I can fulfill it anytime. I still feel guilty for letting it go so long, despite the fact that it is a rather trivial matter.
I do attach greater significance to a statement of "I promise to..." than to a simple "I will...". The latter has to be used so often that it is quite impractical to attach much weight to it.

[Monte314]

Keeping my word is very important to me. If for some reason I am unable to keep my word, I try to find a way to make amends.

[Nikita]

It's important to me, too, to keep my word. Sometimes it does take me longer than it should to do so, but in the end I always get it done.

[Josephine1012]

If I make a promise I always come through on it. Which is why I'm very careful to make them.

[blue tie]

My word used to be pretty serious on all those levels. And then one day I broke it.

The background is that I promised to create a service/website for a student organization and the (lack of) service was generally regarded as a failure. Even if no one else minded (like, it wasn't THAT important), I still took it pretty badly. Since then I've promised to never give out my word if I don't mean it. So I quantify what I say with "I'll try" or "maybe", just as a safeguard.

Only recently did I remember that happening (I'm a forgetful guy!) but I do try to keep as serious to my word as possible. I hate breaking my word. I think it's totally disrespectful. And I try to hold others to their word, but other people tend to be a lot more flimsy with what they say and that upsets me.

So nowadays I try not to say anything. Just keep it all in my head. Because then I can't upset anyone besides myself.

[Zzyber]

I believe that my word is extremely important. If I promise to do something I will do everything within my power to make it happen. I cannot remember a time where I promised to do something that I just shrugged it off or if I couldnt pull it off end the end I didnt talk to that person face to face and explain why I was unable to accomplish the task that I had promised to do.

I think I rambeled a bit there.

[Allie]

My word is binding. Once I make it, not only would I follow through, but do it to the best of my abilities. Promises are obligations. I don't like obligations, so I don't make them unless I know I can commit to them.

[Seraph]

Keeping my word is of the utmost importance to me, though very rarely will I use the phrases "I promise" or "I swear". When I do, however, I will put forth maximum effort to ensure that i have kept my vow and if failure is the outcome then I typically do whatever is necessary to make up for it. This may obstruct a few things or have a negative impact on my activities, but I am a firm believer in the saying "A man is only as good as his word". If somebody breaks his promise made to me then it often takes a lot to regain the lost respect, and I would expect nothing less of other people when I am guilty of it.

I find that I have the most trouble with keeping promises made to myself. If I fail to keep a vow then I try to compensate for it, and am usually very hard on myself. Many times it is difficult for other people to understand why I am so hard on myself for failing to do this, but I suppose that this self-inflicted punishment is merely my own way of preventing such failures in the future.

[Vagrant]

My word is binding, so I rarely give it out.

[Saint]

isn't this equivalent to "how many times after the first do you need them to trust you?"

[zippikay]

isn't this the same with how you perceive yourself in terms of integrity?
i also do the same, my favorite words would include:
i'll try
let's see about that later
i'm not promising you anything, but...
i can promise efforts, but i won't promise results
etc

[reb]

How important do you treat your given word? as a solemn, spiritiual obligation
When you promise something do you treat it as an serious obligation? yep
Are there different levels to your word? not really; i'll use qualifiers if i can't make a solid promise. i don't like to promise something that i have any idea might be impossible to uphold...i typically use 'lord willing and the creek don't rise' on some 'deals'...
Do you ever make promises that you don't keep? a few times; still human, dang it...
Is your word the same in private as it is in business? yes, within the constraints that business imposes (always someone above me to approve professionally; now, i don't have that bs; if someone doesn't complete their portion of the deal with substantial compliance, i may tell them they have defaulted on the original agreement)
Do you consider a contract a form of promise? a contract requires 5 elements: competent parties, a legal purpose, consideration, offer and acceptance....if it has these five elements, it will be upheld in court (a fair court that follows the law, gotta qualify that-lots of baksheesh in this legal system)....we used to say 'a verbal contract is worth the paper it's printed on' lol! promise, as a term, within the world of the uniform commercial code or government contracts is not serious enough...a contract is more than a promise, it's a legal, binding obligation with enforceable serious consequences if the five terms are met, and there's a writing....if the writing is 'disputable', usually it will be construed against the person or company that did the writing....and there is a hierarchy...handwritten takes precedence over 'preprinted'....

[Fanowene]

Keeping my word is of the utmost importance to me, though very rarely will I use the phrases "I promise" or "I swear". When I do, however, I will put forth maximum effort to ensure that i have kept my vow and if failure is the outcome then I typically do whatever is necessary to make up for it. This may obstruct a few things or have a negative impact on my activities, but I am a firm believer in the saying "A man is only as good as his word". If somebody breaks his promise made to me then it often takes a lot to regain the lost respect, and I would expect nothing less of other people when I am guilty of it.

I find that I have the most trouble with keeping promises made to myself. If I fail to keep a vow then I try to compensate for it, and am usually very hard on myself. Many times it is difficult for other people to understand why I am so hard on myself for failing to do this, but I suppose that this self-inflicted punishment is merely my own way of preventing such failures in the future.

I could have written that, though I'm not quite sure about the "promises made to myself" part. Do I ever make promises to myself? When it's about me I often do things spontaneously (so it doesn't burden my to-do list). However, I should make more positive promises to myself, telling myself that I will treat myself to something... and actually do it without feeling guilty.

[zibber]

I'm careful not to give "my word" (ie make strongly worded promises) when I doubt whether I will be able to follow through, but if for whatever reason I am unable to do what I said I would do, it isn't as if I have violated some sacred code. Sacred codes are fictions. I can tell you whether I intend to do something, but I am no future teller. I have little trouble lying about "my word" when I'm sure I can get away with it relatively cleanly and it is very beneficial to me, by the way.

[Deadgod]

I give my word under the conditions of and through the understanding that:
a) it is necessary to give my word if something vital depends on it.
b) I don't want to pass of as being a jerk or lacking integrity.

But I have my values and my principles. If the person whom I'm engaging in a transaction with is a scam, I won't proceed to engage unless something greater (a) depends on it. There needs to be a strong rational basis for these kind of things.

[Lionel]

I grew up in a family that almost never keep their word, as a result, i know what it feel like to be dissapointment over and over agent, so yes, keeping my word is very important to me

[Antares]

I promise nothing, and forsake (or at least try to) no promises.

[radames]

I do, or don't do, something out of variety of quick assessments I make as to the feasability and justification of the action.

[dragonsscout]

I generally treat my word as quite important. I like people trusting me. I do consider promises to be very important obligations. If I promise to do something I'll do it (with VERY few exceptions). There are definitely different levels to my word. If I say I'll do something that's not important, I might let it slip if I'm busy. I've never not kept a promise though. My word is the same in business as it is in private and I consider a contract to be a sort of promise, which is why I almost always read them.

[muguly]

"..my balls and my word is all I have...." Jay-Z