Most people want to be recognized for being “reliable.” If you were born August 23rd through September 22nd, you are in luck. Your astrological sign means you were meant to be reliable, and with a few changes, reliability should come natural to you. If you are a different sign, but are jealous of all your reliable Virgo friends, this should help you out as well.
First of all, take inventory of your current reliability. How often do you tell someone you will do something and you don’t do it? Even more importantly, how often do you tell YOURSELF you will do something and you don’t do it? Maybe you were planning to wake up to your alarm clock this morning, but you hit snooze three times. Maybe you promised yourself you would make dinner rather than go through the Wendy’s drive-thru. Whatever it is, what promises are you consistently breaking? How much better would you feel about your life and yourself if you stuck to these promises?
Regardless of who you are letting down, a pattern of unreliability is hard to break. The more you do it, the worse you feel and the less others and yourself expect out of you. Remember–you can never know exactly what people are saying behind your back. It is okay if you really don’t care, but most of us DO care. It is important to us how others perceive us, and this is directly influenced by our behavior. This pattern even affects how you think about yourself. How many times have you neglected to start something because you know you can’t follow through with it?
The most basic phrase to remember when it comes to reliability:
“SIMPLY LET YOUR YES BE YOUR YES AND YOUR NO BE YOUR NO.” [The Bible]
When you follow this phrase, you begin to be known for what you say. Even if you don’t ever do exactly what you or others want you to do, people respect those who stick to their word. If people can count on you to do as you say, you can gain a lot of “reliability” points.
This phrase may seem overly simple to you. You may be thinking, of course I mean yes when I say yes and of course I mean no when I say no. But how many times have said yes to something, only to change your mind later? Have many times have you wish-washed over a decision, and changed your answer? It is okay to change your mind, but consider how that affects the way people perceive you and the way you perceive yourself.
A very important thing to keep in mind is a simply, two-letter word. NO. If you are someone like me who feels incredibly guilty for saying no, this little word is very difficult to wrap your head around. You begin to feel like you are going to disappoint people and that no one is ever going to ask you for help again. This is not true! People will respect you more for saying no, then for saying yes and bailing later. I can’t count the number of times I have told people I want to go out to dinner, coffee, etc. only to bail on the day of because I really don’t want to go. If you don’t have time for a committee, don’t join the committee! Say NO. Go ahead and say it politely, but make it very clear. This is something that takes practice, but once you begin saying no to things you don’t want to do, you will realize how wonderful it is.
Organization is also very important when it comes to being reliable. You may fully intend to go to that meeting, meet your friend for coffee, or call your mom after work. However, if you are unorganized or you can’t remember your commitments, it is easy to forget what you planned to do. Reliability and organization go hand in hand. Being organized is another topic entirely, and different organization tactics work for different people. However, think about what it is that keeps you from sticking to your commitments and come up with a plan for how you are going to do better.
The best step to take toward reliability? Set aside fifteen minutes a day. Decide when you can realistically do this and STICK TO IT. Remember, reliability also includes being reliable to yourself. Maybe the best time for you is in the morning, right when you wake up. Maybe lunch time. Maybe bed time. Whatever it is, set aside fifteen minutes a day to organize your life and take account of your commitments. This time can be spent doing whatever it is that helps you be more organized. One easy task is to sit for this time and simply make a list of everything you need to do and are committed to. From here, you can schedule when you are going to do everything and how you wil allocate your time to stick to your commitments.
Another trick for being reliable…the index card. Think about the top five commitments you want to keep. These can be broad or narrow. Maybe you want to be commited to your health, to exercise, to work, to your boyfriend, to your children, etc. Make sure these are things you truly care about. Write all five down on an index card you can keep in your purse or wallet. Whenever you are considering something else, or another commitment, take out this card and think whether this is something you truly want to do. Does it bring you closer to your top commitments? Does it make you less reliable to them? Is this something you really want to do, or is now the perfect time to use “NO”?
Now, if you are setting aside fifteen minutes a day, you can use this time to review your commitments. Are these things still making you happy? Do you want to continue being reliable to them, or is it time to say no and change your devotions?
*PerfectVirgos are reliable*
How to Live as Your Sign Intended 