WE ARE OUR ACTIONS
Emerson: “What you are thunders so that I cannot hear what you say”
I believe that we are our actions. We may talk well, present well and be well intentioned, but if our actions don’t line up with our words, our words are meaningless.
We can all speak a good game, but how many of us actually live what we speak? I know there have definitely been times when I got caught up in saying one thing, yet doing another.
Gossiping, for example, can trip me up. I strongly believe that gossiping is relationally damaging and I try my best to not get sucked in. However, when I am in a group of people who I don’t know very well, I struggle with this. On a good day, I am able to change the subject, turn the conversation to myself, or not get pulled in. On a bad day, I find myself doing things that encourage more gossip just to feel like I am a part of the group (laughing, asking questions, “Really, what did she say?” etc.).
While I am not proud of this, I believe it is fairly normal for us to get caught sometimes doing things that we say we don’t like, believe in, or want others to do. If this ever happens to you what are some tricks you use to get yourself back on track? With gossiping, (on a good day) I say, “I’m trying to not talk about other people, so can we talk about me?” This often leads to laughter and gets us off the gossiping…on a good day. What’s your trick?
Challenge: Take a moment to answer these questions: What are your words saying? Are they in line with your actions? If not, what move do you need to make to have them be more congruent with one another? Commit to make this move and note any changes in you or others.
