Actions Speak Louder Than Words

By Reign Boxley-Martin

Scenario:  You’ve caught your boyfriend cheating, yet again.  You verbally accept his apology and agree to put the past behind you, yet secretly remain skeptical since this is not the first time.  You find yourself constantly picking fights with him and resort to snooping through his things when he’s not around to see if you can find new evidence of cheating.  Your verbal response says that you will forgive and forget.  Your actions say that you really haven’t forgiven or forgotten the past.

People tend to say what they think others want to hear, and then fail to follow through on the actions which serve as proof to their claims.  Unfortunately, promises and affirmations mean absolutely nothing without proof.  This is especially true when dealing with a repeat offender.  Do you know any repeat offenders?  Do you still trust that the words coming from that person’s mouth are sincere and can be trusted?  Or do you tend to blow them off and just wait for the action to follow? 

Why even put yourself in that position to begin with?  You can learn more about a person’s character by watching their behaviors toward others.  Instead of jumping into a relationship, make the decision to pace yourself to give the opposite party time to really show you who they are.  Keep in mind that this could take some time, so patience is key.  Use this time to observe, and find out whether or not their actions are different from the words they speak.  Taking the time to truly understand how a person’s actions correlate back to their words will often save you the time and energy of handing out the trust card, only to find that you misjudged later.

When you do the opposite of what you say, know that you are flushing your credibility down the drain.  You’ll get more respect from those around you for being honest and upfront.  On the flipside, take the time to observe others and how they interact with those around them.  Listen to the words that are coming from their lips, and watch to see if their actions are in sync.

 

At the end of the day, your actions will speak louder than words.  The person on the receiving end may not catch on until it’s too late, but trust, they will catch on.

With that, my friends, I leave you with a couple of words and actions that should go hand in hand:

• ·         If your apology is sincere, then act like it.  If you accept someone’s apology, then let it go.
• ·         If you tell someone that you are going to do something, then do it.
• ·         If you say that you love your significant other, act like it.
• ·         And last but certainly not least…
• ·         If you’re running around town claiming to be someone’s “ride or die”, then damn it…be their “ride or die”!

Been there, done that…lived the life, and just saying.