As humans, we say great things.  We use great words that outline what we believe in and what we’ll do.  For instance, I believe the Designated Hitter has no place in baseball!  Certainly great words.  I say I believe in justice, equity and love.  Great things.  I’ve made promises to people.  Many I’ve kept, some I regrettably haven’t.  I tell my wife and daughter that I love them; an action more than it is feelings.  And yet, I’m not perfect on that front either.

Case in point: To love (as an action) my family, I must live.  To love my daughter, I must lead.  And yet, I sometimes come up short.  Recently, I’ve decided that I need to re-introduce exercise back into my daily routines.  I’m now 46.  I can’t eat like I used to anymore.  I can’t take youth for granted, because it no longer belongs to me.  I’ve put on considerable weight since my mid-thirties.  I have high blood pressure that is treated with pharmaceuticals.  I’m reminded often of my own mortality, something I didn’t think much about when I was younger.  Bottom line, I know that if I want to be around for my family, I have to take better care of myself.  I’ve told Shani and “S” this through the years, and I’ve taken some strides in that direction, but I haven’t followed through on some of those promises.

In my recent post What Makes A Man A Man?, I explored some basic criteria to address that question.  One of the principles discussed had to do with aligning our words with our actions.  To break it down to a single word…integrity.  Do we adhere to what we say we are?  This is one concept where I am reminded regularly that I have room for growth.

This is not a unique challenge.  I know many men, and women for that matter, that struggle with this challenge.  In fact, I know of no person whose words are always aligned with their actions.  Should we resign ourselves to the reality that perfection doesn’t exist?  Are there resources that can help us reach a truer alignment of our words with our actions?

A few years ago, Shani introduced me to a social movement that addresses this very topic.  She read about it while flying back home from a business trip and it resonated with her enough to immediately share it with me.  She soon incorporated it into the culture of the team she managed and encouraged me to learn more about it as well.  The movement is called because I said I would. The premise is that we are only as good as the promises we keep.  Brilliant, basic and undeniably true.  For Shani and I, it has been an indispensable resource in our personal growth.  We both encourage you to check it out.

So I continue to work on fulfilling the promises I’ve made.  Continue working on aligning my words with my actions.  Today our family is out enjoying a new active hobby we’re trying to incorporate into our own culture: kayaking.  I am going to continue pushing to build new healthy habits that align with my promises I’ve made to my family.  How successful I am is yet to be determined.  I’m certain there will be times that I struggle to fulfill these commitments.  But I know that I will never stop working on being the man I say I am.

Have you found yourself in situations where your words haven’t aligned with your actions?  How have you handled this?  Please feel free to share your own ideas and stories.  Make sure that that you hit follow to ensure you never miss a blog post.  Like us on Facebook as well!