Say you’ll call at seven, and call at seven. Tiny promises are how people learn you mean the big ones.

Trust gets assembled out of small verifiable events rather than declarations. Every kept minor promise adds a little evidence, and every broken one subtracts more than seems fair. Nobody is keeping score deliberately; people simply learn over time what your word is worth.

Start making fewer promises and keeping all of them. If you are going to be late, say so before the time rather than afterwards. That one habit does more for how you are regarded than anything you could say about yourself.