When I was deciding what character trait I wanted to write about, one word stood out to me:  Dependability.

The word Dependability brings back a few vivid memories.

As a child, I was taught that the one thing in this world that you have full control over is your word.  My late grandfather used to tell me, “No matter what, always do what you say you’re going to do.”   Being a kid, I did not think much about this statement until one day I decided not to follow through with something that I had told grandpa I was going to do.  My life lesson on Dependability was learned at the end of a very eye-opening switch from that old willow tree out in the pasture.

That impactful word came around again in October of 1997 when I was just a young man, fresh out of high school.  I was sitting across the desk from Master Sergeant Mann at the United States Marine Corps recruiting station.  Master Sergeant Mann had just given me 14 small plaques with words on them.  I would soon find out each of these words were the 14 leadership traits of the U.S. Marines.  As I sat there looking at the plaques, Master Sergeant said, “Son, I want you to pick two or three words, and tell me what they mean to you”.  Of course, you probably won’t be surprised that I picked “Dependability” along with “Integrity.”  I recounted the life lesson of Dependability that I had learned from my grandfather.  The recruiter, so impressed, rewarded me with an all-inclusive trip to Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego for Boot Camp just a few weeks later.

As I reflect all these years later on that simple, but impactful, statement from my grandfather – “No matter what, always do what you say you are going to do” – I realize what a lesson it was and how much it has shaped my own values and how I strive to live my life – with Dependability.