The Power of a Promise

Why the words we use may determine whether we achieve our goals

At the Never Too Late Academy, we often talk about audacious goals.

Crossing oceans.

Writing a book at seventy.

Changing careers at sixty-five.

Getting healthy after years of neglect. Starting over after loss, illness, failure.

Learning new skills.

Moving to a new culture.

Running a marathon.

Starting a new business

Big goals. But here is the reality: audacious goals are not achieved through inspiration alone. They are achieved through action. Repeated action. Often small, unglamorous action.

Over a lifetime spent in board meetings, leadership meetings, management retreats, and strategy sessions across different countries and organizations, I grew very familiar with the concept of “Action Items.” Different organizations used different terminology and formats for meeting notes, but the word "action" almost always appears somewhere.

One company I was involved with held marathon quarterly board meetings. The first two or three hours of each gathering were spent reviewing “Action from Matters Arising.” What had been agreed? What had actually been done? What remained unfinished?

There is nothing wrong with that system.

But let’s be honest. It is all rather mechanical. Efficient perhaps. Corporate certainly. But dry. And makes an assumption that people will do what they say. But they don`t always! Lack of motivation, politics, and inertia can all get in the way.

Recently, my long-time friend Paul Dupuis and I were talking about goals and actions required to achieve them. Paul, a Future Ready Leadership Coach, author of The E5 Movement, a former corporate leader across Japan, Singapore, and India, and one of the founders of Never Too Late Academy, ends almost every meeting, whether with a group on one-on-one by asking participants what their POA (Promise of Action) is. The phrase Promise of Action stuck. It caused me to pause and absorb what he had said.

Words matter. Even when people cannot articulate why a word affects them, something happens deep within the psyche. Certain words carry emotional weight. They trigger different internal responses, different expectations, and different standards.

Promise is one of those words. A promise is not merely a task or an administrative follow-up. A promise carries integrity, commitment, passion, and identity. From childhood onward, the word occupies a special place in our emotional vocabulary. A parent says they will take us somewhere special. A friend says they will do something important. And instinctively we ask, “Do you promise?”

Even as children, we understand the difference between intention and promise.

And if the promise is broken, not only do we feel disappointment, but there is a loss of trust.

“But you promised.” may not be uttered out loud, but is felt deep inside even unconsciously. The disappointment cuts deeper precisely because expectation was elevated.

Wedding vows are promises. Sacred commitments are promises. The word itself carries moral gravity. That is why I find Paul’s POA so powerful. A Promise of Action elevates the conversation from management mechanics to personal integrity, and this matters enormously when it comes to goals.

Many people fail to achieve meaningful goals not because they lack intelligence or opportunity, but because their commitments remain vague, casual, and emotionally detached.

“I should.”

“I’ll try.”

“Maybe next month.”

“One day.”

Those phrases allow drift. But a promise roots itself deeper, especially when the promise is made not only to others, but to yourself.

This concept extends beyond corporate meetings. It matters in personal life. We all have meetings of one.  When we sit down with a notebook, a cup of coffee, and an uninterrupted hour, and note our goals and aspirations, we could ask ourselves, What is my Promise of Action? By evoking the essence of Promise it takes us beyond fantasy and vague aspiration.

What specific action am I promising myself before the next checkpoint in life?

Perhaps it is fitness, health, finally writing the book, making the phone call, starting the business, repairing the relationship, or taking the first step into the unknown. Audacious goals are rarely achieved in giant leaps. More often, they are achieved through a chain of promises kept, one Promise of Action at a time.

Words are powerful, and sometimes a subtle shift in language can produce a profound shift in behavior.  So perhaps the question is not merely: “What are my goals?”

But rather “What is my promise not only to others but to myself?”

If you reframed your commitment as a promise, I dare say you are more likely to keep it, as the cost is greater to you personally and possibly your relationship with others if you don`t.

POA Worksheet

A simple exercise to turn goals into promises kept

Many goals remain vague because they never move beyond intention.

A Promise of Action asks a deeper question: “What am I truly committing to?”

This short exercise is designed to help you distinguish among wishes, intentions, tasks, and promises.

You can complete this exercise alone, with a partner, or as a team following a planning session or meeting.

PART ONE: LOOK BACK

Think about the last meeting you attended.

This could be:

• A business meeting

• A planning session

• A discussion with your spouse

• A coaching session

• A conversation with yourself about your future

What commitments were discussed?

Which of these were merely “tasks”?

Which felt like genuine commitments?

Why?

PART TWO: THE LANGUAGE TEST

Look at the phrases below.

Place a check mark beside the ones you most commonly use when talking about your goals.

[ ]  I should

[ ] I’ll try

[ ] Maybe someday

[ ] When things settle down

[ ] I hope to

[ ] I need to

[ ] I want to

[ ] I plan to

[ ] I promise I will

Now ask yourself:

Which phrases sound emotionally detached?

Which phrases sound rooted in commitment and identity?

PART THREE: YOUR PROMISE OF ACTION

What is one important area of your life requiring action right now?

[ ]  Health

[ ] Fitness

[ ] Family

[ ] Marriage

[ ] Career

[ ] Finances

[ ] Creativity

[ ] Faith

[ ] Adventure

[ ] Purpose

[ ] Other: ___________________

Write one specific commitment you are willing to make before your next checkpoint.

Not vague. Not motivational. Specific.

“I promise I will…”

PART FOUR: THE INTEGRITY QUESTION

On a scale of 1–10, how seriously do you personally regard this promise?

1 2. 3. 4 5. 6 7. 8 9 10

What would move it one level higher?

PART FIVE: ACCOUNTABILITY

Who will know about this Promise of Action?

[ ]  Only me

[ ] Spouse/Partner

[ ] Friend

[ ] Coach/Mentor

[ ] Team

[ ] Publicly shared

Date of Commitment: ___________________

Next Checkpoint Date: ___________________

Final Reflection

Audacious goals are rarely achieved through giant leaps.

More often, they are achieved through a chain of promises kept.

One Promise of Action at a time.

Endnotes

1.  Research into language, behavioral psychology, and commitment framing consistently suggests that the words people use influence perception, emotional engagement, and follow-through. Studies in cognitive psychology and behavioral economics have demonstrated that emotionally weighted language can strengthen identity attachment and increase levels of accountability. See works by Daniel Kahneman (Thinking, Fast and Slow), Robert Cialdini (Influence), and James Clear (Atomic Habits) regarding identity-based behavior and commitment structures.

2. Paul Dupuis is a Future Ready Leadership Coach, author of The E5 Movement, one of the founders of Never Too Late Academy, and a former corporate leader with decades of leadership experience across Japan, Singapore, and India. His practice of concluding meetings with a “POA” (Promise of Action) inspired this reflection. Paul can be found at https://take5-global.com/ceos-message

About the Author

Lowell Sheppard is a Canadian author, speaker, and long-term resident of Japan. He is the founder of Never Too Late Academy, Special Advisor to the International Academic Forum (IAFOR), and a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. Over the past three decades, Lowell has traveled extensively throughout Japan by bicycle, sailboat, train, and on foot, exploring themes of longevity, reinvention, community, and purpose.

He is the author of multiple books, including the forthcoming Longevity and the Art of Community: Lessons from Japan, currently under discussion with publishers across multiple languages. His recent work has included research and consultancy related to healthy lifespan, aging populations, and what he calls “Red Zone Rebels” — people who remain active, independent, and engaged late into life.

Lowell divides his time between writing, speaking, coaching, and exploring Japan in search of stories, insights, and audacious goals worth pursuing.