(ThyBlackMan.com) Every day I deal with “black” people who do not follow through, who do not keep their word and yet think nothing about it. That is an unproductive, self-sabotaging and destructive habit. Does this mean any other ethnic group is perfect? No, but I have interacted with Africans, Hispanics, Asians, Russians, Germans, Jamaicans, Haitians and Caucasians. And out of all of these groups, I stand firmly on the fact that more African-Americans do not follow through than any other group. Oh yes our people will step up and follow through it they would lose their jobs or get in trouble with the law, but almost everything else seems to be given an ambivalent, lackadaisical low priority. Just like procrastination, smoking weed and scape-goating, OUR BAD HABITS ARE HURTING US AND MANY OF US DO NOT EVEN SEE IT.
Keeping your word shows character. It shows that you have a personal standard and belief in doing your best and being at your best, as often as you can. That shows effort and effort shows commitment . Likewise when you don’t keep your word it says a lot about your character, but none of it is good. So many “black” people are used to getting away with failing to keep their word that when they are called out on it and held accountable, they get mad and defensive. They make excuses. They say “nobody is perfect“. They say “it’s not that serious“. They say “it’s not like it was life or death“. Then when I ask them would they not follow through on their job, they say “this ain’t my job“. That is both unfair and ignorant guys and ladies. I am due the same respect that they would give their employer. Why? Because we should respect each other and the even bigger issue is one of character, not one of who you are dealing with. When we act out the slave mindset, it hurts us all. KEEP YOUR WORD and if you break it, don’t make excuses, walk in denial or deflect the issue of what you did or failed to do.
Keeping your word shows commitment which in turn shows consistency. Keeping your word shows you are serious about what you committed yourself to or what you promised. Therefore keeping your word shows you understand the significance and importance of doing so. The more you keep your word, the more consistent you will become at doing so and the more you will be known by others as a man or woman of honor and integrity. Even my enemies will say this of me. My word is only about 3 levels below God’s word – and yes it’s that serious. My word is solid platinum. I never, ever, ever break my word unless one of four things happens – if I am sick, if I am dead, if there is an emergency or if a third party interferes with me keeping my word. Otherwise I keep my word 
whether it is about money or not, safety or not, business or not, court or not, people I know or people I don’t, people I like or people I don’t. This is a personal character trait that will work in my favor and in yours.
Keeping your word shows reliability, that you can be counted on and trusted to do what you said you would do. Your word must be your bond. If you are not known for something good, you may inadvertently be known for something bad. Very few reputations are neutral. Do not make a promise if you cannot or plan not to keep it under normal circumstances. If you want other people to be reliable, you need to throw that out into the universe. What if someone told you they would take you to the airport for your flight but they didn’t? That example hopefully drives home the point that breaking our word can cost us.
Keeping your word is the right thing to do and you know it. Sometimes it’s just that simple. We must shake off the slave mindset, the excuses, the habits that work against us and the practice of blaming others when WE screw up. Accountability should not be a bad word. Nor should it be a practice that we fear. It should be a standard or practice of excellence to seek and obtain.
Keeping your word sets a standard of excellence for yourself, not a sorry standard of mediocrity. Do not get comfortable operating in mediocrity because you were created for excellence, not mediocrity. You are fearfully and wonderfully made so act like you know it. Our community must raise the bar of expectation, not lower it and get comfortable in it. If you make a “C” on a test and everyone else failed, don’t get comfortable because you only made a “C” people. I know you may be surrounded by people who do not keep their word but you need to rub off on them instead of the reverse. And we need to stop measuring ourselves from the bottom up instead of from the top down. Don’t look at how much higher a “C” is than an “F“. Look at how much high an “A” is than a “C“. This way of thinking will keep you goal-oriented and progressive.
Keeping your word is staying out of hypocrisy. You and I both know you want people to keep their word to us. Therefore we should and must do the same. We also know that we reap what we sow and what goes around comes around. How would like it if your employer told you they would pay you on Friday then they just didn’t do it? How would you feel if an attorney said she would show up for your case in court then she didn’t come? How would you feel if your companion said he/she would marry you then just didn’t show up on the day of the wedding?
Keeping your word provides a good example for those around you. Require it of your children, your employees, friends, family and everyone else you interact with. Be patient with them until they get there but hold them accountable for the trip and do not let them make excuses. In my book, excuses are simply BS pseudo-reasons for failing at something and making ourselves feel OK that we did. Excuses are not your friend and excuses work against you. You are better than that.
Keeping your word makes you stand out in a positive way, especially when so many people fail to do so. The darker the dark, the brighter one light can shine on everything around it. Getting you noticed in such a positive way can easily get you raises or promotions without you having to ask. There are many more benefits to keeping your word as often as humanly possible than there are when you don’t.
Keeping your word is what God expects of you. I am sure you want God to keep His word, don’t you? If He didn’t, we might as well throw the entire Bible or Quran away. Solomon in the Bible says we are “snared by the words of our mouth” . Therefore be careful what you commit to, but once you do, FOLLOW THROUGH. I write this article for your benefit, for the benefit of those around you and for the benefit of our ethnic group of Africa-Americans. De=programming ourselves from bad, unproductive and self-sabotaging is a process and it won’t happen overnight. But it will happen. I expect excellence and greatness from you. Now it’s time you expect these things of yourself. No more excuses.
Staff Writer; Marque-Anthony