Article: Everyone has experienced a broken promise, at some point in their life, and knows how serious the repercussions can be. Seeing promises as a sacred responsibility can add the weight to them that's necessary to help you keep them. If you see a promise as something truly important, then you will do whatever is in your power to keep it. It can also be really important to give proper time to considering whether or not you should make a promise in the first place. Think about what it will take to fulfill a promise and honestly assess whether or not you can keep it. It is way easier to refrain from making a promise to someone than it is to explain why you didn't keep it. When you do break a promise, being accountable means confessing to your lapse and sincerely saying you are sorry. In many cases, this will not take away the consequences of the broken promise, but accepting those consequences is better than avoiding them. If someone asks something of you that you are doubtful that you can deliver on, you can either say yes and hope you make it work, or you can say no. Saying no can be a good option if you couple it with a counter-offer. Rather than accepting terms that you may end up failing to meet, find a way to compromise that gives you a better chance of success. Sometimes you may disappoint people by not being able to agree to exactly what they ask of you, but the small disappointment will most likely be outweighed by you fulfilling the agreement. If you agree to something and then fail to deliver, more than disappointment, the other person will probably experience anger at you. If you try to negotiate something that you feel confident you can achieve, and the person is unwilling to compromise on their original preference, you should say no if this is at all an option. Tell the person you do not feel you can deliver what they are asking and that you would rather say no than agree to it and end up failing. A great way to practice being accountable is making up a detailed written agreement when you are making commitments to someone. This may be excessive in some cases, but if you do it even when it's unnecessary it will help create the habit of following through. Writing out what you are committing to helps promote accountability because it makes it so you can remember the specifics of what you agree to. It's hard to honor a commitment if you forget that you made it. The specific situation you are in will dictate how detailed of a written agreement you should make. Jotting a brief note to yourself may be enough, but the situation may also warrant a thoroughly detailed contract between you and someone else. You may both want to sign and date it for any potential legal consequences of the agreement. At the very least, writing down your commitments will help you remember, and at the most it could serve as evidence for the future.
Question: What is a summary of what this article is about?
Keep promises you make. Negotiate towards an agreement. Get it in writing.

Again, cats have a very powerful sense of smell, so food particles left on countertops can lure them into trying to find and eat any scraps, crumbs, or spills you may have missed, in addition to clawing or biting their way into food you have stored on countertops. If you must store food on counters, place it in containers which cats can't tear or chew open. This eliminates the odor of food on the surfaces. It might be especially effective to wipe off counters with a disinfecting wipe, which will eliminate odors that may attract your cat while keeping your countertops clean and sanitary. Choose cleaners or disinfectants that smell like citrus, aloe, eucalyptus, or wintergreen in particular. These scents will deter cats from unwanted surfaces. In fact, many perfumes will have the same effect. It is possible your cat is jumping on your countertops to scavenge for food because he or she is hungry. You might be able to determine if this is the case simply by offering your cat more food than usual. If the cat doesn't seem to jump on the counter after you start offering more food than before, then you might have solved the problem. However, some cats do overeat, and even if you do offer more food, they may still jump onto counters. Be prepared for this possibility as you try offering more food to combat countertop incursions. If you aren't already, keep a bowl of dry cat food out for the cats to eat as they please. Many cats are "grazers" meaning they like to eat small amounts of food throughout the day instead of having specific mealtimes where they eat a lot of food at once. If your cats are grazers, be sure to keep a bowl of dry cat food always available, provided you do not exceed the daily serving amount on the package (unless your veterinarian instructs you to do otherwise). You can also offer them smaller portions throughout the day if that is convenient for you, but the point is to offer them enough food to try to keep them from scavenging for food on your countertops. Watch your cat's eating habits and weight to prevent obesity if you alter their regular feeding routine. If you have cats toys or other objects cats like to play with on the countertop, then the cat will be tempted to jump up there and get them. Keep in mind that cats toys are not the only things cats like to play with. Your cat may be tempted to get on countertops to play with objects like keys, pens, lip balm tubes, and paper. Keep in mind also that you should not store cat toys in a location near the countertop, such as a cabinet. If the cat sees you put a toy there, he or she may be more likely to get on countertops to try to get the toy. Be sure you close the curtains or shades on windows that your cat can access via the countertop. Cats like to look out windows to see birds, chipmunks, and other wildlife outside, so they may jump on countertops to get to those windows. This is why it is a good idea to have cat trees or cat shelves set up for cats to be able to look out windows (see Method 2). Cats don't like lemon, so this might work on your cat(s).
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One-sentence summary --
Keep counters clear of human food which may tempt your cats. Wipe off counters frequently. Consider giving more food to your cats. Keep counters free of objects cats like to play with. Keep windows near countertops covered. Clean your counters with lemon pledge or lemon oil.