Actions Speak Louder Than Words.

I am Catholic. For myself and many others, today is the first day of Lent: 40 days in preparation for Easter. A time to reflect on what we believe was the ultimate sacrifice for our sake and on what we can sacrifice to better ourselves and others. (Don’t worry. This post isn’t me trying to “save” anyone.) Hence the question “what are you giving up for Lent?”

So many times I find people changing their “sacrifice” because they just couldn’t go without that one thing or even more frequently, I hear people complaining about how hard it is to go without it. So, is that really you sacrificing something if you spend the whole time giving into temptation or complaining about it so everyone knows your struggling? Isn’t that the complete opposite of the point of all this?

And this isn’t just about Lent, people. Whether your reasons for doing something are religious, personal, environmental, social, etc. – do it because you want to make a difference. You want your efforts to have an effect on something. This happens in everyday life. We all say we’re going to do things, or be things and then turn right around do something with the opposite intention.

Have integrity with your words. Words are communicated intentions, which is a great place to start. They are powerful but, if you don’t apply them into action, they can easily lose weight and effectiveness to the situation at hand. Gandhi had it right, “Be the Change you want to see in the world.” Start that ripple in the water. Do things with purpose. The impact may be greater than you know or expected, but then again, the results most likely will be too.