White House Conference on Bullying Highlights Power of Promises Says “Make A Promise Day" Creator

March 10, 2011 - PRLog -- Author and guest speaker Matthew Cossolotto, creator of “Make A Promise Day” (May 4th — May The Fourth Be With You!), today pointed to the White House Conference on Preventing Bullying to underscore the power of making a promise.  

Cossolotto, who launched the first annual “Make A Promise Day” on May 4th, 2010, cited Kirk Smalley’s impact after he made a promise to his stepson on Father’s Day 2010.   Smalley’s 11-year-old stepson, Ty Field, committed suicide after being bullied for months at school.  

Following this terrible tragedy, Smalley made a promise to do everything he could to stop bullying.  So far, Smalley has spoken to 30,000 students at 50 schools in his home state of Oklahoma.   Today, Smalley will share his poignant story with President Obama and the nation during the White House Conference on Preventing Bullying.

“Kirk Smalley’s promise to his stepson demonstrates how powerful a promise can be,” said Cossolotto.  “The promise becomes a powerful motivator for people to keep going even when times are tough.  A promise like the one Kirk Smalley made comes directly from the heart and this heart-connection distinguishes a promise from a typical goal or objective.  This is why I urge people to turn important goals into heartfelt promises.  A promise is like a goal on steroids.”  

Cossolotto launched the first annual “Make A Promise Day” last May 4th as part of his ongoing mission to share the power of making a promise with millions of people around the world.  He’s also writing a book about the power of making a promise with a foreword by Jack Canfield, co-creator of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series.  The book includes stories about real people who have made and kept important promises in their lives.  

“There are so many uplifting stories out there about real people who made life-changing promises and helped to make the world a better place,” Cossolotto said.  “I’m dedicated to collecting these inspiring stories and sharing them with the world.  I sum up the power of making a promise with these four, mantra-like sentences:  Make a promise.  Keep your word. Change your life.  Transform the world.”

Cossolotto knows about the power of making a promise from personal experience.  He made a promise to his mother on her deathbed that he would finish writing a book he had been discussing with her, get it published, and dedicate it to her memory. The resulting book, complete with Cossolotto’s dedication to his mother, is HabitForce! How to Kick the Habits of FAILURE and Adopt the Habits of SUCCESS.

Cossolotto asked supporters of “Make A Promise Day” and the Make A Promise movement generally to submit their inspiring stories of promises made and promises kept. Cossolotto is collecting uplifting stories for use in his forthcoming books and presentations about the power of making a promise.  If you have a true story about a promise made and kept that you’d like to share with the world, please send a brief overview of the story to: matthew.promises@gmail.com.      

Cossolotto also asked supporters to spread the word to jurisdictions across the U.S. and around the world about “Make A Promise Day.”  Encourage your town, city, county, state (or province) and country to adopt a “Make A Promise Day Proclamation” similar to the one passed by the Yorktown, New York, Town Board on February 15, 2011.  Here is the text of the resolution adopted in Yorktown that can be adapted by jurisdictions elsewhere:

MAKE A PROMISE DAY PROCLAMATION

Whereas, Make a Promise Day is the only unofficial “holiday” dedicated to personal empowerment, goal achievement and integrity enhancement;

Whereas, Make A Promise Day encourages individuals to turn important goals into heartfelt promises thereby increasing the probability of reaching those goals;

Whereas, celebrating Make A Promise Day will have the effect of enhancing accountability, personal responsibility and integrity;

Whereas, the Town Board recognizes the value of highlighting the power of making and keeping promises on the part of local students, teachers, community organizations, businesses and political leaders;

Now therefore be it resolved, that the Yorktown Town Board hereby designates and proclaims May 4th of 2011 and each year thereafter to be “Make A Promise Day” and encourages local organizations and individual members of the community to celebrate “Make A Promise Day” in a manner they deem to be suitable and appropriate.

John Assaraf, best-selling author of Having It All, wrote this about Cossolotto’s “Make A Promise” project: “I agree completely with that there is something uniquely powerful about making a promise that goes beyond traditional goal-setting.”

In addition to Kirk Smalley, Cossolotto cites a few more examples of the power of making a promise:
•   Oprah Winfrey made a promise to Nelson Mandela that she would build a school for girls in South Africa.
•   Nancy Brinker, author of Promise Me and founder of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, promised her sister and breast cancer victim Suzy that she would help find a cure.
•   Bill Clinton made a promise to Chelsea that he would watch his diet and take care of his health.
•   NBC’s Al Roker made a promise to his dying father that he would deal with his weight issues.
•   Kody Bateman, CEO of Send Out Cards, made a promise to his departed brother (and himself) that he would act on his promptings and find a way to help others do the same.  He founded Send Out Cards as a result of this heartfelt promise.

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About Matthew Cossolotto (aka "The Podium Pro"): A former aide to House Speaker Jim Wright and Congressman (now CIA Director) Leon Panetta, Matthew Cossolotto served as a CEO-level speechwriter and communications executive at MCI, Pepsi-Cola International, and GTE. The author of several books including The Almanac of European Politics, All The World’s A Podium, and HabitForce!, Matthew offers a range of executive communication services and guest speaking programs. Please visit http://www.ThePodiumPro.com; http://www.MakeAPromiseDay.wordpress.com; www.MakeAPromiseDay.com; Follow Matthew and “Make A Promise Day” on Twitter: www.twitter.com/makeapromiseday.