Idea 21: Be trustworthy in word
I do not see how a man can be truly successful who is untrustworthy in word. When a pin is missing in the yoke-bar of a large cart, how can the cart be expected to go?
Confucius, Analects 2:22
Confucius put being trustworthy in word at the top of his list of the qualities that make a successful person. Your word and your action should always march in step together.
This is a simple rule, but an extraordinarily demanding one. It must be, because so few people live up to it.
Exercise
Can you think of three examples in the last month of people who said they would do something and failed to do it?
When was the last time you promised someone that you would do something for them and then failed to follow through with ...
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