A man of Deeds and not of Words

We live in a world of broken promises. We live in a time when people treat their words lightly. We tell a friend we will call her next week for lunch knowing full well we do not have the time to do so. We promise a co – worker we will bring in that new book we love so much knowing full well that we never lend out our books. We promise to help someone or to be there for someone when they are in need of some support and kind words knowing that we won't be there. Their trust and our worth, both fade away like dust fades with blowing wind.

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Similarly, we promise ourselves this will be the year we will get back into shape, simplify our lives and have more fun without any real intention of making the deep life changes necessary to achieve these goals. These goals remain goals till forever. A little step, a little effort is all that is needed to begin with. We lack that "little" everything.

Saying things we don’t really mean becomes a habit when we practice it long enough. The real problem is that when you don’t keep your word, you lose credibility. When you lose credibility, you break the bonds of trust. And breaking the bonds of trust ultimately leads to a string of broken relationships including the relationship one has with his soul, with his heart, with his inner self.

To develop an honesty philosophy, begin to monitor how many small untruths you tell over the course of a week. We don't even bother to call them untruths. Go on what I call a “truth fast” for the next seven days and vow to be completely honest in all your dealings with others – and with yourself. Every time you fail to do the right thing, you fuel the habit of doing the wrong thing. Every time you do not tell the truth, you feed the habit of being untruthful. When you promise someone you will do something, do it. Be a person of your word rather than being “all talk and no action.” As Mother Teresa said,

“there should be less talk; a preaching point is not a meeting point. What do you do then? Take a broom and clean someone’s house. That says enough.”

Inspired by "Who will Cry when you Die?"