E-couragement: Prove It!

“Example is not the main thing in influencing others, it is the only thing.”  Albert Schweitzer The sudden summer torrential downpour had just ended when it caught my eye. I noticed how the signage caused an immediate reaction in me and I quickly did an internal scan. Was my response coming from a place of cynicism? Was I being too critical or judgmental? The answer was no.

The sign was simple enough; the company along this busy thoroughfare proclaimed: “We want to be your dry cleaner.” What was my immediate reaction? Okay then—Prove It! I recognized that my response was not aimed at this particular business. I was simply resorting to a core human condition. This was a similar feeling I encountered after observing a banner hung in a cancer center back in 2010.

What was my innate human nature responding to? We’ve heard “talk is cheap” thousands of times. Yes, words alone lack strength; your real opportunity is on the other side of that coin. Action is powerful. Ideally, the most potent place of influence is when your words are conjoined with congruent action.

That’s the message I was reminded of on that rain soaked afternoon. There’s no power in orphaned words. Mix in a healthy portion of action. Show us what you mean. Provide an example or demonstration. Prove it. Now that’s powerful.

Leave your comments: What proclamation have you made that needs to be backed up with action?