Author and Speaker Matthew Cossolotto Urges Oberlin and Other Jurisdictions to Recognize May 4th as Make a Promise Day (MAPD)

OBERLIN, Ohio - May 2, 2022 - PRLog -- Matthew Cossolotto, author of the forthcoming Embrace Your Promise Power with a foreword by Jack Canfield (co-creator of the best-selling Chicken Soup for the Soul book series), today called on the Oberlin City Council and other jurisdictions in Ohio and around the world to recognize May 4^th each year as "Make a Promise Day" (MAPD).

Cossolotto is an author, guest speaker, executive speechwriter, and speech coach. His senior-level leadership communications career spans the corridors of power on both sides of the Atlantic – from NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, to the Speaker's Office in the U.S. House of Representatives. A former aide to Congressman Leon Panetta, Cossolotto has coached and penned speeches for senior executives at a wide range of organizations, including UCLA, GTE, Pepsi-Cola International, and other Fortune 100 corporations.

What Is Promise Power?
It's the innate power we all possess, something almost instinctive in the human experience that values promise-keeping and decries promise-breaking. Author and political philosopher Hannah Arendt observed that "Promises are the uniquely human way of ordering the future." And yet self-help authors and success coaches have largely neglected this potent force for personal empowerment. Embrace Your Promise Power and "Make a Promise Day" bring it to the fore by extolling an old-fashioned virtue: We must take responsibility for our lives, and this begins with doing what we promise to do.

Cossolotto explains that there are no costs involved in adopting a MAPD Proclamation. But there are many benefits that will accrue to any local, state or national jurisdiction that encourages citizens to embrace their promise power. Cossolotto is asking supporters to urge appropriate authorities in their town, city, county, state (or province) and country to adopt a "Make A Promise Day" Proclamation similar to the following:

MODEL "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 (INSERT JURISDICTION/OFFICE) recognizes the value of highlighting the power of making and keeping promises on the part of all members of society, including students, teachers, community organizations, businesses and political leaders;

Now therefore be it resolved, that the (INSERT JURISDICTION/OFFICE) hereby designates and proclaims May 4th of (INSERT YEAR) and each year thereafter to be "Make A Promise Day" and encourages organizations and individual members of the community to celebrate "Make A Promise Day" in a manner they deem to be suitable and appropriate.

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 she had been encouraging him to write and dedicate it to her memory. By making and keeping that heartfelt promise, Cossolotto embarked on an unexpected path: becoming a personal empowerment author and speaker whose mission is to help millions of people around the world achieve their dreams, keep their promises and reach their peak potential… on and off the podium.

In his foreword to Cossolotto's forthcoming book, Jack Canfield writes: "When Matthew first told me about the heartfelt promise he made to his mother… I was hooked. You could say he had me at 'I promise.' There was something very attractive, almost magnetic, about this concept. And I say that as somebody who has been intimately involved in the personal development field for many years. I've seen and heard just about everything… With a promise your heart and emotions are fully engaged. Because of this, a promise is what I call a personal empowerment 'twofer.' It combines The Power of Intention with The Law of Attraction."

Joe Biden's Promise to his Son
In his best-selling book, Promise Me, Dad, President Joe Biden recounts the moving story about his son, Beau, who was losing his battle against brain cancer. Close to the end of his life, Beau asked his father to promise him that he would be OK after he (Beau) passed away. At first, Biden responded vaguely that he would be OK. But that wasn't good enough for Beau. He made his father promise, PROMISE, that he would not use Beau's death as a reason to turn in but as a reason to turn out, to continue to be engaged and not to withdraw from public life. Joe Biden made a heartfelt promise to his dying son and Cossolotto believes that promise was a factor in Biden's decision to run for President of the United States in 2020.

Make a Promise Day: May the Fourth Be with You!
You might be wondering why Cossolotto selected May 4^th for "Make A Promise Day." When you say those two magic words – I promise – you generate an unstoppable force that propels you in the direction of your goals and dreams. With that in mind, Cossolotto was hit by an epiphany some years ago: Make A Promise Day had to be on May 4th because then we could say the following sentence and it would make sense: May the Fourth be with you!

Yes, Cossolotto admits it's a silly pun on the famous blessing from the "Star Wars" movies ("May the Force be with you!"). And yes, because of this association with that movie franchise some people already think of May 4th as Star Wars Day. But Cossolotto didn't know about Star Wars Day when he settled on May 4^th. Besides, there's no reason "Star Wars" fans and advocates of MAPD can't share the same date. Doing so will not cause a disturbance in the Force.

Make a Promise. Make a Difference
Cossolotto states: "My interest in promoting Make A Promise Day and the power of making a promise more generally goes beyond helping people change their lives for the better. That's a big part of it. But I'm also interested in transforming the world. Making the world a better place."

President John F. Kennedy wrote: "One person can make a difference, and everyone should try." Cossolotto says: "If you want to make a difference in the world, start by making a promise. The world can be transformed – one person and one promise at a time."

The following four-part mantra sums up the power of a promise and the purpose behind Make a Promise Day: Make a Promise. Keep Your Word. Change Your Life. Transform the World.

About Matthew Cossolotto
A former NATO speechwriter, Matthew Cossolotto is the author of The Joy of Public Speaking (available on Amazon.com) and the forthcoming Embrace Your Promise Power with a foreword by Jack Canfield, co-creator of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series. Cossolotto's books and related coaching/speaking programs feature a unique combination of three power tools: Habits, Speaking and Promises. He calls this the Triad Empowerment System, based on his trilogy of books: The Seven Mindful Habits of SUCCESS; The Joy of Public Speaking; and Embrace Your Promise Power. Visit www.ThePodiumPro.com.