SHATTERED ; THE IMPACT OF BROKEN PROMISES

hayleydemi (62)Member/Verifiedin Steem4Nigeria • 9 months ago

The impact of a broken promise can be fatile, explosive even, depending on how personal such promise may be. Many at times, these broken promises leaves an individual feeling bitter, vengeful, or even unwilling to trust again. Some people begin to hate, while others shut people out as a form of coping mechanism to deal with the impact of a broken promise. Before we dive in deeper, lets take a lok at what promises are all about.

WHAT IS A PROMISE? GIVE THREE COMMON REASONS WHY PROMISES ARE BROKEN

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According to definitions.net

A promise is a verbal commitment by one person to another agreeing to do (or not to do) something in the futureSource

It is an oath one makes to another to do or accomplish something within a specific time frame. Most times, people make promises for several reasons which includes;

FOR ASSURANCE: When promises are made it could be as a form of assurance, to strengthen an individual faith on the person making the promises
AS ENCOURAGEMENT: In trying moments, when we feel down or discouraged, promises are often made by families, friends or loved ones as a form of encouragement, something we can hold on to.
AS MOTIVATION TO DO MORE: Most times we make promises to others to motivate them to do excellently well. When one knows that there is a promise reward awaiting them, it could inspire them to do their very best.

COMMON REASONS WHY PROMISES ARE BROKEN

1. INSUFFICIENT FINANCE- When the income or cash is unavailable at that moment and promises has already been made. It will be hard for an individual to fulfill such promise and that is why some promises get broken. Unavailability of finances to fulfill or go through with such promise can lead to broken promises.

2. FORGETFULNESS- As funny as it sounds, some people make a lot of promises that they sometimes forget t fulfill some. This happens with individuals who are untrue with their words and only make promises for the fun of it. They make promises to several people and forget just how many promises they have made or fulfil so far.

3. UNFAVOURABLE CIRCUMSTANCES AND SITUATION- Sometimes, individual may find themselves in a situation or position where they are unable to fulfill the promises they’ve made to another due to the circumstances at that time or what life decides to throw at them. When these individuals are put in a tight corner where fulfilling these promises becomes extremely hard, it could lead to broken promises.

HAVE YOU EVER EXPERIENCED A BROKEN PROMISE BEFORE? HOW DID IT MAKE YOU FEEL?

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Indeed, I have experienced broken promises several times in my life. At a point I got used to them. Especially when it kept on happening from one person in particular. At first, I felt disappointed whenever such promises were broken. However, I got used to it. I realized that such person did not know how to keep a promise. They only make it for the fun of it.

Sometimes, it is important to know who is making the promise, what qualities does he/she possess? Is this individual a straightforward person or someone you can rely on to fulfill such promise.

HOW DO YOU HANDLE BROKEN PROMISES? DO YOU CONFRONT THE PERSON OR LET IT GO?

Some of the ways I handle broken promises includes;

I confront the person
I find out why such person broke his/her promise
If it's a good reason, I give the person a second chance
Sometimes I let it go

The thing with promises is that sometimes it can be broken. I keep that in mind whenever someone makes a promise to me. I remember that we are all humans, no one is perfect and sometimes we may disappoint one another due to one reason or the other. With this mindset, it allows me to handle broken promises well and forgive the offender.

DO YOU BELIEVE THAT SOME PROMISES ARE MEANT TO BE BROKEN? WHY OR WHY NOT?

Promises are nothing to joke about. It's s either you make one or you don't. One should not promise something that he/she cannot fulfill. Promises are meant to be fulfilled not broken and that is why we make them in the first place. However it is unfortunate to see that people nowadays break promises anyhow like it meant nothing.

WHAT STEPS CAN BE TAKEN TO REBUILD TRUST AFTER A PROMISE HAS BEEN BROKEN

Some practical ways Individuals can rebuild trust after a broken promise include;

1. TAKE RESPONSIBILITY-
Accepting responsibility for your action is the first step to mend any relationship that has been broken as a result of broken promises. When an individual own up to the wrong he/she has done, there can be room for improvement

2. APOLOGIZE SINCERELY-

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Sometimes, a genuine apology is all we need to fix any resentment or hate that may arise from a broken promise. Such individual should ensure they apologize sincerely, stating the reasons why they couldn't fulfill such promise. When this is done, then maybe there can be hope for trust once again in such relationship.

3. FIX IT IF YOU CAN-
To express how genuinely sorry you are, try to fix it if you can. Depending on the nature of such promise try your possible best to fix it or do something similar to the promise you made if possible. That way, such individual can be able to trust you again for something else.

4. BE CONSISTENT AND FOLLOW THROUGH YOUR WORDS WITH ACTION
To build back trust, it is very important that Such individual becomes true to his/her words and back it up with actions. Show that you can be consistent and straightforward. Prove to the person concerned that you can be trustworthy and reliable and just maybe that broken trust may become sealed again.

Cc:@sahmie