What’s a promise you made to yourself that you’ve actually kept?
The promise to myself I never broke wasn’t about waking up at 5 a.m., sticking to every New Year’s resolution, or finally resisting the urge to buy “just one more” plant.
We make promises all the time.
“I’ll start on Monday.”
“I’ll sleep early.”
“I’ll stop buying plants because there’s no space left on the balcony.”
That last one? Let’s not discuss it.
But the promise to myself I never broke wasn’t about waking up at 5 a.m., drinking more water, or finally resisting the temptation to bring home “just one more” plant.
The truth is, the hardest promises aren’t the ones we make to other people. They’re the quiet little promises we whisper to ourselves when nobody is listening.
I’ve broken my fair share of them. Some lasted a week. Some didn’t even survive until lunch.
But a few… somehow stayed.
Not because I have extraordinary willpower. (I don’t.)
But because they quietly became a part of who I am.
Looking back, I realized the promise to myself I never broke wasn’t really one promise at all. It became a collection of little promises that slowly shaped the person I wanted to be.
The Promise to Myself I Never Broke Began with Curiosity
Age has tried very hard to convince me that I should now be an “expert.”
Curiosity had other plans.
I still Google random things at midnight.
I still wonder how flowers know exactly when they bloom.
I still fall into rabbit holes that begin with “I’ll just check one thing” and somehow end with ancient civilizations, octopuses, or why toast always lands butter-side down.
Grey hair may arrive without permission.
A curious mind, however, is entirely optional.
And I’d like to keep mine.
I Promised Myself I’d Keep Making Things
Not everything needs to become a masterpiece.
Sometimes a few written words are enough.
Sometimes it’s a sketch.
Sometimes it’s crochet.
Sometimes it’s watering a plant that stubbornly pretends it’s on vacation.
Creating reminds me that I exist for more than ticking boxes on a to-do list.
The world celebrates finished products.
I secretly celebrate beginnings.
I Promised Myself I’d Never Let Age Decide My Joy
Apparently, growing older comes with an invisible instruction manual.
“Act your age.”
Wear sensible shoes.
Don’t laugh too loudly.
Don’t dance in the kitchen.
Who wrote these rules?
Because I’d like a word.
If something makes me smile, I’m keeping it.
My knees occasionally file complaints.
My heart hasn’t submitted any.
I Promised Myself I’d Collect Memories, Not Perfect Moments
Perfect days are suspicious.
Real life spills tea.
People arrive late.
Photos blur.
Rain ruins plans.
Cake collapses.
Someone always blinks.
And years later…
Those are exactly the stories everyone laughs about.
Perfection is forgettable.
Memories never are.
I Promised Myself I’d Keep Showing Up
Not every day feels magical.
Some mornings, motivation doesn’t even bother sending a text.
Still…
You get up.
You write one paragraph.
Water one plant.
Read one page.
Smile once.
Tiny victories are terribly underrated.
Life isn’t won in giant dramatic scenes.
It’s quietly built in ordinary Tuesdays.
I Promised Myself I’d Keep a Little Corner of Childhood Alive
I still get excited over the first rain.
I still smile when I hear an old song.
I still stop to admire an unusually shaped cloud.
And don’t even get me started on books that smell like childhood.
Growing older is compulsory.
Growing boring?
That’s entirely negotiable.
I Promised Myself I’d Never Rush Through Beautiful Moments
Life keeps telling us to hurry.
Faster.
Quicker.
What’s next?
But some things refuse to bloom on our schedule.
A sunset.
A heartfelt conversation.
The fragrance of morning coffee.
A flower that opens only for a single magical night.
The best moments in life don’t ask us to speed up.
They quietly ask us to stay.
And I’ve learned that staying is sometimes the bravest thing we can do.
The Promise to Myself I Never Broke: A Collection of Small Promises
I’ve forgotten birthdays.
Missed deadlines.
Burnt toast.
Killed a few innocent houseplants.
(They deserved better.)
But the promise to myself I never broke has survived.
To stay curious.
To keep creating.
To laugh loudly.
To notice small wonders.
To make memories.
To show up.
To protect the tiny child inside me who still believes ordinary days can suddenly become extraordinary.
Because the day I stop doing those things…
I’ll still be growing older.
But I won’t really be living.
So if someone ever asks me about the promise to myself I never broke, my answer won’t be just one sentence.
It will be this way of living.
And that’s one promise I have no intention of breaking.
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Until the next whisper…
—Rajeshwari 🧿💕
© Nihshabd by Rajeshwari
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