A great promise is about more than just locking pinkies with your BFF on the playground.  A promise should be a genuine statement indicating your intention to do or refrain from doing something, and coming up with the perfect promise isn’t always easy. However, if you include these 3 key components, your promise is sure to make the biggest impact.

1. Tell Them You Care

Show the person(s) who you are promising to that you care about them. Connecting on a personal level is the first step. You picked this person for a reason right? Well what is it?

2. Sharing Your Weakness(es) makes you stronger

Seriously though, no one is perfect. What about your relationship with the person you’re promising to would you like to change or improve? While it’s not always easy to admit our pitfalls, understanding them is vital to building healthy and successful relationships that are built on trust. How do we build trust? Open up, be vulnerable, get in your feels, and figure out where you have room to grow. Order a pizza if that helps.

3. Caregiver Statement (Your Promise)

The final part of a great promise should explain how you plan to confront your weakness(es) and  have their back…or their front (hopefully both). By making this promise, you are committing to work on your relationship in some way.  No matter the size of your promise you should work to keep it.

All Jokes Aside…

Using promises helps to develop accountability and trust. When people feel like they can count on one another, everyone is bound for success. Contemplate these questions when you start to write your promise.

• What does your relationship with them mean to you and why?
• What aspect of your relationship would you like to change or improve upon?
• What action will you take to make the changes you mentioned?

Promising your support to a loved one or friend is a quick and easy way to help develop a positive and supportive relationship. It brings people together and quite simply, it makes ya feel good.

My advice: Take an afternoon, watch The Breakfast Club, get vulnerable, be there for one another, and watch your relationship bloom.