Part 2: The Promise Dilemma

Written by Posted On Wednesday, 16 March 2022 00:00

Last week I posed the dilemma: 2 good choices, only one solution, which promise do I keep?  Here’s a LINK back to the article.

As my Dad had an event he wanted me to attend, and my Son had a basketball game, you (the Reader) were kind enough to send along your thoughts, suggestions, wisdom, and advice on what I should do.

Your recommendations were about 50/50.  So, this proves it was a true dilemma!

What did I end up doing? 

I absolutely could not attend both, nor could I watch a video online of the speaker, my Dad could not attend the game with my son, and so all bets were off.

Here’s what I did:

I called my Dad and asked him about his event.

As he was a sponsor of it, this was a very important moment for him and he was hoping I’d attend.

When I explained my dilemma, that this was the first time, most likely the last, where fathers had been invited to play a basketball game with the sons, he said, “Of course, play the game!  You’re young enough to still play with your son, and in shape, you should do that.  Of course I’d like you to be at my event, but not playing the game with your son will be something you’ll always wish you did as you grow older as a father.” 

I asked how I could make it up to him, as my Dad.

He said, “Well, the next morning there is a VIP breakfast where the speaker will be sharing more messages, if you are available to attend with me that would be wonderful.” 

And so it was, problem solved.

I played the game with my son, and although I haven’t played a full court pickup game since tearing my ACL in 2002, and knowing I would regret it physically due to my latest back and leg pains, I still went all in.  I missed more than half my shots, the glory of yesteryear nowhere near here.  In the many missed shots we laughed as we played, and had a wonderful time.  The Dads fared better than anyone expected and my wife even made a compilation video for us to laugh about. 

The next morning I crawled out of bed, slathered on the IcyHot, doTerra Deep Blue, and after a quick ice bath, went to my Dad’s VIP event in the morning.  I got to meet the world renowned speaker, and was surprised when he invited my Dad and fellow business associates up to be recognized.  Had I attended the night before I wouldn’t have seen this moment, and captured it on film to send to my Dad afterward.

It was wonderful to be able to have all things work out in this instance.  Not all promise dilemmas are like this, but I learned a powerful lesson:

What this dilemma caused me was worry, concern to disappoint others, and as if there were no compromise.

The lesson learned is that COMMUNICATION and FULL TRANSPARENCY is essential in making Promise decisions. 

I’m grateful I called my Dad to talk it through.  I really figured he’d recommend I do what I ended up doing, because that’s what he instilled in me as a young man – being a father is the greatest responsibility – and as my father’s son we will carve out other chances to hang out.

Thankfully this worked for all parties involved.

Communication and Full Transparency, Honesty, Trust – it all matters in making our decisions and keeping promises, and especially when faced with The Promise Dilemma between choosing Good vs. Good.

What are your thoughts on how this turned out?

Are you surprised or disagree?

And what are your latest promise dilemmas that may be challenging you?

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Jason Hewlett

Having delivered thousands of presentations over two decades, Jason Hewlett is the only speaker in the world teaching leadership skills, tools, and mindsets in such a powerfully unconventional way. With out-of-the-box performances of uncanny musical and comedy impressions of incredible stage legends, Jason’s keynote, The Promise: Become a Legendary Leader and Discover Your Signature Moves is a speech that feels like a show, entertainment that feels like enlightenment, music that feels like a difference-maker. Audiences leave with proven processes and immediately implementable takeaways to transform their business and leadership skills and invite a whole lot more joy into life.

https://jasonhewlett.com/

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