A Promise Made And Kept

"One of these days," "Someday," and (my favorite expression) "I'll get to it."

How many times do you hear these phrases? How many times do you say them? I know that I say "I'll get to it" at least twice a day, usually accompanied by eye-rolling or a resigned sigh.

What if, instead of paying lip service to something, we actually made a commitment, put that commitment in writing and then handed it to the person we committed it to? Wouldn't that somehow make it official? A promise?

That's the concept behind Because I Said I Would, a social movement  and nonprofit aimed at making the world a better place through the keeping of promises. Alex Sheen, founder of Because I Said I Would, told attendees at the National Association of Insurance and Financial  Advisors annual conference how he was inspired to start the movement as he was grieving his father's death.

The concept is simple. Because I Said I Would distributes, free for the asking, "promise cards." The card is blank except for the words "because I said I would" printed at the bottom. The person who makes the promise writes that promise on the card and hands it to the person they make the promise to. When the promise is fulfilled, the card is returned.

Sheen said so many of the world's problems stem from one thing: broken promises. We see it playing out in broken relationships of all sorts.

When I thought more about this movement, I realized: Isn't this what insurance is all about? Isn't an insurance policy a written promise that someone will help you in your time of need? And isn't buying life insurance a promise that clients make to their loved ones, telling them "I will make sure you are taken care of even when I'm not there"?

As insurance professionals, you are the ultimate promise-keepers.

At the conference, each of us were give 10 cards. I already know what I will do with the first one. I met an attendee who asked me to connect him with an expert I know.

I will make sure to meet up with this attendee before I leave the conference and hand him a card that says, "I will send you contact information for Mr. X ... because I said I would."

Susan Rupe is managing editor for InsuranceNewsNet. She formerly served as communications director for an insurance agents' association and was an award-winning newspaper reporter and editor. Contact her at Susan.Rupe@innfeedback.com.

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