The Best $5.43 Ever Spent—If the Lesson Is Learned
A $5 lesson on trust, responsibility, and honoring your word.
Earlier this week, we picked up the girls after their weekend with Granny—and heard about a broken agreement.
In our family, agreements matter. When you give your word, you're committing to follow through. Not honoring your word erodes trust and reliability.
We teach that honoring your word can look like:
Doing what you said you would do, or
Acknowledging the breakdown, apologizing, and cleaning up the impact, or
Creating a new agreement with all parties involved
So, I asked the girls, “What happened?”
They were out shopping with Granny when Adelina found something she wanted to buy and asked her sisters if they wanted to split the cost.
Audrey said, “Yes.”
Ava said, “Okay.”
The item cost $16.29, which comes out to $5.43 each. Adelina paid up front with the agreement her sisters would reimburse her.
But when they got home, Ava changed her mind and said she didn't want to be part of it anymore.
Adelina and Audrey were upset. The agreement had been made—and broken. Adelina felt hurt – she'd trusted Ava to keep her word. Audrey was frustrated, too. When trust breaks, so does connection.
I asked Ava, “Why are you backing out?”
She replied, “I didn't think about it until we got home.”
I explained that an agreement was made, and Adelina paid with the understanding that the cost would be shared. Backing out without discussion was unfair and irresponsible.
I reminded her that when you say “OK,” that's a yes—and if you change your mind, you need to ask to create a new agreement. The others can accept, decline, or offer a counter.
Ava asked to be let out of the agreement. That would mean Adelina and Audrey each paying $8.15 instead of $5.43. They declined.
So I told Ava she had to honor the original agreement. She wasn't happy, but I asked, “What would you want if it were the other way around?”
She smiled and admitted, “I'd want them to pay what they said they would.”
Exactly.
So she paid the $5.43.
And I asked her, “What did you learn?”
She said, “To think about it before I agree to things.”
Yes. AND I told her - if she truly learned to align before agreeing, then $5.43 is a deal for a life lesson that valuable.
Freedom Unleashed Takeaway:
Your agreements matter. Align before you commit. Otherwise, you're leaking energy and breaking trust - not just with others, but with yourself.
Freedom starts with your word. “What's one agreement you need to revisit, repair, or recommit to in order to lead powerfully today?”
