Makoto - Honesty and Sincerity - Lessons from the traditional samurai code of honor, discipline and morality known as bushido

"When warriors say that they will perform an action, it is as good as done. Nothing will stop them from completing what they say they will do. They do not have to 'give their word.' They do not have to 'promise.' "

This teaching has been taught by many cultures the world over and it is an important one to practice. In the book The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz, the first of four agreements is to be impeccable with your word, "Speaking with integrity. Say only what you mean..." In Christianity, Jesus says "All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one." (NIV Matt 5:37) 

So why is this teaching so important? It keeps us from being someone who is all talk and no action. I would say now more than ever action is more respected than mere knowledge. In this current age of information, anything that can be learned is at our finger tips. So those who learn and do are those who stand out from the crowd.

When I first started my health and fitness journey, I would tell people what I was going to do for the next thirty to ninety days. This wasn't a boast as much as it held me accountable to do it. I didn't want to be someone who said he was going to do a 30-day challenge then fail to do it. I was practicing makoto, and it felt good to say then actually do what I said I was going to do.

Never make promises unless you know for sure that you will follow through. This is as important for the person you are making the promise to as it is for you. When you break a promise, you weaken your own willpower to follow through the next time. You begin to create a pattern of not keeping your word. This goes for the smallest of promises such as taking out the trash to big promises such upholding your wedding vows. This attribute will strengthen like a muscle, the more you uphold your word the stronger you will become in this area.