This article is part of Finding the Words, a newsletter that delivers practical insights on the day’s issues.

I thought about not writing today.

I have a cold and could use the sleep. 
We are heading out of town, and I could use the time. 
I have family visiting, and I could use the break.

Any one of those reasons would have been fine enough not to write today. And truth be told, you would have been just fine if I skipped this week's column. 

But what good would that have done if I just skipped out on my weekly practice?

Practice is something we keep—it's a commitment to ourselves, an act we perform again and again in the spirit of moving a goal along, even under pressure. We practice our sports, our musical instruments, our crafts, and our values. Practice takes diligence, focus, commitment, and an insistence to keep it up, even when excuses mount.

Doing what we say we'll do takes determination. But following through on those commitments builds trust, credibility, and reliability.

As my dear mentor, Don Foley likes to say, "Trust isn't something we get to keep; it's something we earn, over and over again, through our actions."

There are plenty of examples of leaders today who say they'll do something—to get elected, to get the promotion, to ace the interview—and then never follow through. Others make it a point to reflect on what they said, bring ideas and commitments forward, and engage others in the process. Leaders earn trust through the practices they follow.

Stick with your commitments and be true to your word.

If you've read any of my columns, you've likely picked up on this theme. I believe we're better versions of ourselves when we show up and follow through in service of each other—when we're willing to work through challenges together, lead through shared values, honor the truth, and do the work with integrity, toward something greater than ourselves.

While that style of leadership is absent in some very important places right now, your leadership doesn't need to be. Small acts of consistent, caring leadership can keep us grounded, help us believe, and keep us moving forward.

As Dr. Vivek Murthy shared in a conversation with Kate Bowler this week, "We are good medicine to each other."  Indeed, we are. And keeping a practice that is in service of others—even small practices—is a way we can be true to our word and true leaders for each other. 

When all else feels shaky, you can be the solid footing.

So yes, small acts of showing up, from writing a weekly blog to checking in each morning with a colleague or consistently showing gratitude for your team's actions, matter now.

If you can—and I think you can—see through your promises and your practices. We can't change what others do or choose not to do in their leadership practices, but we can control our daily actions and practices.

Get the practice in. Do the reps. Do the work.

Seeing your practice through may be that simple reminder someone needs today to believe in their practice, too.

Because we're always a little better with practice.

This post is part of the Finding The Words column, a series published every Wednesday that delivers a dose of communication insights direct to your inbox. If you like what you read, we hope you’ll subscribe to ensure you receive this each week.