Follow Through

"Always do sober what you said you would do drunk. That will teach you to keep your mouth shut!"

-- Ernest Hemingway

Consciousness is a fickle thing. What seems like a great idea when you're in one state of consciousness, seems totally absurd when you gravitate to another. Drunk and sober are just two of those states. You move through many flavors of consciousness on a daily basis, even without the help of chemical influences.

Integrity is about being integrated, about coalescing those various states into a coherent whole called a soul. A soulful person may show the world many personas, but at their core you'll find unity. That unity is expressed through their ability to follow through, to transcend their current emotional state and do what they said they'd do, even when their perspective on it has changed.

But the second part of Hemingway's advice is equally important -- keep your mouth shut! In sales training we say, "Under promise and over deliver." Don't shoot off your mouth in the heat of the moment, in an attempt to impress, or even from good intentions. Think things through first. Or listen to your intuition. Better to surprise people with an unexpected gift than to disappoint them with a broken promise.

So, today, go out there and get drunk! Then whatever half-ass commitments you make, follow through on them. That'll learn you! Or, as an alternative, do a bit of a self-inventory. Look and see what unfulfilled promises you could still make good on, and then do just that. Still too much work? OK, just shut up. Go all weekend without making any questionable commitments. Don't agree to do anything that you really don't want to do. Silence is not only golden, it's also a helluva lot less work!