Lifestyle

Actions Speak Louder Than Words

by Ashley Fern
Stocksy

People say things and make promises they have no intention of keeping on a daily basis. You can tell someone you love him or her as many times as you want, but until your behavior coincides with that, the other person will probably not believe you. Some feelings cannot be expressed in mere words; they require actions to speak for them. Words are cheap, anyone can tell someone they love them, but they will not feel the immensity of these emotions until they are acted upon.

This concept applies to almost every situation in a person’s life. In relationships, if one partner is consistently coming home late from work and not answering his or her phone, the other will probably think this person is cheating. This is a valid concern, since the partner’s actions are running contrary to how a relationship should be. This concern will only grow as the actions contradict the faithful promises that were once made. No protests of love will be able to convince otherwise because the actions are looked at over the words.

“Love is sustained by action, a pattern of devotion in the things we do for each other every day.”

Promises mean nothing without proof. People lie all the time and say things just to appease others. You can only learn about a person’s true character by watching their behaviors toward you and toward others. Actions should meet verbal commitments, not conflict them. If you promise something, people might not believe you until they see you actually do it. If we give off two contradictory messages, verbal and nonverbal, people will have the tendency to believe the nonverbal over the verbal.

We must consistently monitor our actions so that they coincide with the words we say. Words are easy to throw around, but it takes a righteous person to follow through with actions that back them up.

“When all is said and done, more is always said than done.”

The way people conduct themselves in different situations is a greater determinant of behavior and character than the words through which they choose to express themselves. What you do holds much more significance than what you say.

The act of teaching a lesson demonstrates how effective this concept is. People want to have a leader whom they can admire that fulfills their common goals. If you want to convince people to listen to you, you need to do what you say. Most often, lessons are more effective when put into practice rather than just receiving a lecture.

“People may not tell you how they feel about you, but they always show you. Pay attention.”

Many people have trouble expressing their emotions to partners because of the way their parents treated them and each other. If a child does not see his parents embracing each other and acting lovingly toward one another, they mature thinking this interaction is normal. Furthermore, if children are not embraced or hugged by their parents as they grow up, they will not believe they are truly loved.

“Action speaks more powerfully than words, but when you use words as your actions, you probably won’t stop talking.”

We can apologize for our mistakes over and over, but if our actions do not change, the words become meaningless. You need to be careful of what you say to someone who loves you, if you are not able to support what you say with actions. It is much more effective to simply act the way you wish to instead of giving someone false hope. Do not lead this person to believe you are actually remorseful if you are just going to go back to your destructive behavior.

At the end of the day, whatever your actions may be will show what you are trying to prove. If you are simply talking, nothing is happening, but when actions take place, you are actually engaging in this behavior. Actions prove who someone really is while words only show what someone wants to be.