Vow Or Promise?

I think most people would agree that the word “vow” carries a little more emotional weight than the word “promise.”

But when you look at it, they’re really one and the same.

A vow is a promise . . . and a promise is a vow.

The only distinction I can see is that you make a promise, but you take a vow.

And somehow, that seems like a distinction without much of a difference.

Maybe the real difference is in how the words make us feel.

Compare these two sentences:

“I promise I’ll be there when you need me.”

“I vow I will never abandon you.”

The second one just seems to land with a little more weight.

But whether you make a promise or take a vow, there’s still no guarantee you won’t break it.

Just look at the divorce rate.

A lot of people took vows that eventually became broken promises.

But this really isn’t a lesson in semantics. It’s more a suggestion about how we live.

And it can be summed up pretty simply:

Do what you say you’re going to do.

Actually, better yet . . . do it in reverse.

Do the something first, and then tell people what you did.

That way, there’s no promise to break.

And I think that gets to the heart of what I’m suggesting:

Don’t tell people what you think they want to hear.

If you’re going to say something, just lay out the facts . . . without the spin.

People can handle the truth a whole lot better than they can handle a broken promise. That, I promise you.

And if you make a habit of doing what you say you’re going to do, you won’t become known as the person who continually disappoints.

So maybe there’s a vow worth taking today.

When you’re about to make a promise you’re not sure you can keep . . .

take the vow of silence.

All the best,

John