One of the most difficult lessons for most people to learn is to over deliver without making outlandish promises.
Generously helping people positions you to succeed and to be happy in life. But preceding the generous service, you want to be aware of making ridiculous or impossible to fulfill claims. Even if you do an amazing job in helping someone, you will come up short in people's eyes if you make absurd claims.
For example, I spent the prior few days sifting through both blog commenting and blog guest posting lists entry by entry. Each blogger who published the lists guaranteed:
- the lists were up date
- the lists were reliable
However, all promises I came across reeked of absurdity solely because no sane, honest human guarantees that 300, 500 or 900 blog post links all point to:
- live blogs
- legit blog commenting blogs
- legit guest blogging opportunities
Even though the bloggers guaranteed reliable, up to date lists, I found at least 30 blogs collectively either completely offline, no longer accepting guest posts and no longer allowing blog comments. I eventually closed out each list. Even worse? I observed each of these bloggers in a less than credible light. The group made unrealistic promises but woefully under-delivered. Should I trust them if most wasted my time? I barely scratched the surface on each list.
Do you know what wise bloggers oozing with credibility would have done? Smart bloggers who maintain full transparency would publish this disclaimer at the beginning of each list:
“I check each link below from time to time but due to the fickle nature of bloggers some of these blogs may be closed, no longer accepting guest posts or no longer allowing blog comments. I cannot guarantee the validity of this list.”
Voila! Publish 2 sentences to keep your credibility intact. Promise humbly. Over deliver. If each blogger I came across who arrogantly dissolved their credibility by guaranteeing an updated, evergreen, reliable list simply published both sentences I would still be scanning their lists. Plus I would still deem these bloggers as being credible. Alas, each made the common business error of over promising and under delivering.
Make simple promises to solve problems. Do not complicate your promises. Do not set the bar so high as to make it impossible to maintain your integrity by fulfilling the promise. If anything, under promise. But always over deliver. Always do a smashing job. Always help people generously. The way toward happiness is to help people freely versus trying to make unrealistic promises that you cannot fulfill.
Unfulfilled promises erode your credibility. I respect anyone who thinks big but only trust bloggers who deliver on any claim made. People believe folks who over deliver. Fools believe folks who over promise and under deliver.
Get so busy over delivering in all that you do life-wise that you have no time or energy to make overreaching promises. Solve simple problems. People do not need spectacular claims. The average human being wants their most pressing problems solved in simple fashion.
Allow this idea to sear itself onto your mind. Not only will you succeed business-wise but you will also enjoy the ride.
