Just as a picture is said to be worth a thousand words, I believe the same to be true of our actions.
Actions tell us what someone cares about, what their priorities are, what they enjoy, who they like to be around, how they treat others… I could go on and on.
Actions tell us who someone truly is. Just like they will tell you who I am if you watch mine closely enough.
Notice that I haven’t mentioned words. That is because words don’t mean all that much to me. In fact, I have learned to tune them out for the most part. Let me explain.
In my first 27 years, I’ve met some amazing people, and some not so amazing people. From my experiences in sport, and now in business, I’ve learned the hard way that people are not always who they say they are, and that words are far different from actions. In both environments, it’s common for people to say one thing and do another, or even better, not do anything at all. After a while, you begin to learn that most of what people say is just noise.
You learn that just about anyone can talk, but very few can honour their word and let their actions do the talking. A valuable lesson.
The optimist in me likes to think that it wasn’t always this way. That people used to honour their word and lead with their actions far more, but I guess it’s hard to really know.
What I do know, is that far too many people have reverted from acting. Sitting back, letting their own words, as well as the words, photos and videos of others take the wheel instead. So much so that we now spend more time watching and listening to others, rather than doing things ourselves.
How sad…
The pendulum has now swung the other way, to where people lead with their words first and worry about their actions second. A change driven by our online existence, where accountability and truth are hard to find. Not only is it now harder to track and measure the actions of others, but it’s also harder to act yourself. Paralysed by the noise, and fearful of the judgement of others.
I am no stranger to this paralysis and fear of judgement. I have felt them both many times before. I think we all do.
Everyone will have their own way of dealing with these feelings and overcoming them. Here’s some thoughts and statements that have helped me:
“Life is meant to be lived, not watched, nor heard about.”
“Time spent talking and thinking about the thing, is time taken away from doing the thing.”
“No one cares.”
Focusing on acting, and searching for it in others, has had a major impact on my life. It’s been a mindset and habit that continues to serve me today, and something that I attribute some of my fondest memories and experiences to.
In a world full of words, I believe that actions are what’s going to help you stand out and get you to where you want to go. So much so, that if I was giving advice to my 18-year-old self, I would say:
Do more, speak less.
Next: Confidence
Jack Macdonald 