Matthew Cossolotto Urges President Obama, Other Leaders to Proclaim May 4th “Make A Promise Day"

Feb. 18, 2011 - PRLog -- Westchester NY resident, author, and guest speaker Matthew Cossolotto, creator of “Make A Promise Day,” today called on President Obama, the nation’s governors, county executives, mayors and other governmental leaders to proclaim May 4th “Make A Promise Day.”

“A promise is like a goal on steroids,” Cossolotto said.  “A promise also combines the positive attributes of hope and change, two concepts that President Obama has warmly embraced.  Now more than ever we need to harness the power of making and keeping promises in this country to turn around our economic situation and to get the country moving again.  Proclaiming every May 4th to be ‘Make A Promise Day’ is an inspiring step in the right direction.  We should bring this positive message to schools, businesses, and government agencies around the country.  That’s exactly what widespread adoption of ‘Make A Promise Day’ will do.  I’m proud that Yorktown was the first jurisdiction to adopt a ‘Make A Promise Day’ resolution. This is only the beginning.  As I’ve said before: Today Yorktown, tomorrow the world!  Now it’s time for President Obama, Governor Cuomo and other leaders to issue similar proclamations.”  

Following is the full text of the resolution, which was adopted unanimously by the Yorktown Town Board on February 15, 2011.

MAKE A PROMISE DAY (May 4th) Resolution

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 Town Board of Yorktown 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.

Cossolotto sums 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.”  On January 1, 2011, he launched a motivational program on Twitter called “A Promise A Day:  30 Days to a Promising Future.”  People can receive the daily tweets by following http://www.twitter.com/makeapromiseday.  The entire 30-day program is also available for purchase on http://www.ThePodiumPro.com.        

By way of background, Cossolotto 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. Signed copies of HabitForce! can be ordered via Cossolotto’s website: http://www.ThePodiumPro.com.

Cossolotto’s dedication to his mother in HabitForce! reads:

In loving memory of my mother,
Virginia Hope (Ludascher) Butler

I did it, Mom! Finally. I can honestly say that this book would never have been completed had I not made that promise to you at home in Gasquet, California, a few weeks before you passed away. This vividly demonstrates the power of making a promise, especially to your mother!

Cossolotto’s forthcoming book – I Promise! The Two Magic Words That Could Change Your Life and Transform The World – features a foreword by Jack Canfield, co-creator of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series. In his foreword to Cossolotto’s book Canfield writes:

When Matthew first told me about the heartfelt promise he made to his mother and that he was launching a special day called “Make A Promise Day” on May 4th, I was hooked. You could say he had me at “I promise.”…

Contributing the foreword to this book and being associated with Matthew’s inspiring “Make-A-Promise” project is totally aligned with my life’s purpose. I applaud Matthew for collecting and celebrating these uplifting stories about promises made and promises kept.

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.”

Here are a few prominent examples of the power of making a promise:
• 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.
• Oprah Winfrey made a promise to Nelson Mandela that she would build a school for girls in South Africa.
• NBC’s Al Roker made a promise to his dying father that he would deal with his weight issues.

As a guest speaker, Cossolotto offers several Personal Empowerment Programs (PEPTalks) to a variety of audiences including schools and colleges, corporations, government agencies, and nonprofits. Here are the titles of his top three PEPTalks:

• The Power of Making a Promise: Make A Promise. Keep Your Word. Change Your Life. Transform The World.
• The Joy of Speaking: Turn Stage Fright Into Stage Delight and Speak Your Way to the Peak
• Success Is An Inside Job: Avoid FAILURE Traps, Get on the SUCCESS Track, and Reach Your Peak Personal Potential

# # #

About Matthew Cossolotto (aka The Podium Pro): Author. Guest Speaker. Speechwriter. Speech Coach. 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. He's the author of a forthcoming book -- with a foreword by Jack Canfield, co-creator of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series -- about the power of making a promise. Please visit http://www.ThePodiumPro.com, http://www.MakeAPromiseDay.wordpress.com, and http://www.MakeAPromiseDay.com. Follow Matthew and Make A Promise Day on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/makeapromiseday.