"Actions speak louder than words, but not as often."
You’ve probably heard the expression “actions speak louder than words” before… But let’s take a quick moment to talk about what that means.
Don’t get me wrong, the words we use are important. They are very precise and a very helpful tool to express our internal state. However, words are easy to say and because of that, don’t require as much effort in follow through.
Actions however are tangible. When you take an action it means that you did something, you invested your energy to make a physical shift. Because it requires more effort it serves as a stronger expression of intention. This is even true for our subconscious mind, which uses our behaviors as evidence to confirm what we believe to be true about the world.
Let’s demonstrate this in two quick examples.
On one side you can tell someone that you’ll run an errand for them, on the other side you go out and run the errand for them. Which one is more meaningful? Which one builds more trust?
Someone says they’re committed to their health and wellness and they plan to wake up early to work out every morning. Another person gets up and consistently gets it done. Which person do you think is more committed?
The words lack a necessary ingredient, which is, what’s actually going to happen? Words are just an expression of intention, and in today’s world people too often fail to take action on their best intentions. Barriers like knowing what to do, having a plan you believe will work, overcoming the fear or doubt that comes with doing it, and postponing actually doing it all get in the way.
That’s why the full expression, not just the catchy first half of it, deserves to be stated: "Actions speak louder than words, but not as often."
Following through differentiates the dreamers from the doers. It’s the great separator. And those who find a way to take action more often find themselves reaching levels of success others don’t.
Having said that, all actions are not the same. There are certain actions and habits that create disproportionate benefits with a fraction of the effort. I call these Super Habits and if you want, I’ll share the 9 that when done consistently completely transform your health, productivity, and mindset in just 10 minutes a day.
