A friend of mine is getting married, so I gathered several small gifts and put them together in a “keep love fresh and juicy” basket.
One of the gifts was a heart-shaped, ceramic ornament with an opening at the top and a leather cord to hang it on the wall. Its purpose is to hold loving notes that partners write to one another.
I found it at a gift boutique last year and was immediately drawn to both its simplicity and intention. I bought several to give as gifts to friends and saved one for Matthew and me to use in our home. The idea of leaving little love notes to one another in this sweet container seemed like a great way to affirm and appreciate one another.
That’s when I realized something.
As I was wrapping this present for my friend, it dawned on me. I had never taken the one I bought for us out of the box.
Immediately, I was transported back to my childhood as I remembered an expression my mother used to say to me:, “Do as I say, not as I do.”
When I was a kid, that expression always irritated me because it was cloaked in hypocrisy. My mother would usually say it with a smile on her face as I was quick to remind her that when she was my age, she didn’t always do the very thing she was telling me to do.
At the same time, I knew she meant well. She was encouraging me to do what she believed was right, having learned from her own mistakes
So I had to laugh at myself. Here I was, giving my friend this gift and advising her and her fiancé to keep their relationship fresh by leaving each other notes of love and appreciation when all the while this had yet to become an honored ritual in my own household.
Oops. I meant well, but the truth is, I wasn’t walking my talk.
Are you walking your talk?
Immediately, I grabbed a pen and paper, wrote a note to Matthew, took the ceramic heart out of the box, hung it up, and placed the note in it.
When we catch ourselves in moments like this, we are presented with so many opportunities…
- for self-reflection
- to connect with what we value and desire
- to question and change our behavior
- to tune into our inner wisdom
We’ve all had times in our lives when we haven’t walked our talk.
The important questions to ask ourselves are “Why?” and “What did I learn from this?”
In fact, “Do as I say, not as I do” isn’t hypocritical if we change the last word…
“Do as I say not as I did”
When we say it that way, we’re acknowledging the lessons we learned from our experiences. And, we are able to turn our regrets and self-awareness into guidance, both for those we love and for ourselves.
We are all role models for someone, be it our children, grandchildren, friends, partners, clients or colleagues.
It’s up to us to make sure we are walking our talk and living authentically.
Writing your stories could be the next step.
Is there something you know is important and want to do, yet you still aren’t doing it?
If so, what if today were the day you turned that around?
And if writing down your stories and understanding and sharing your hard earned lessons is something you want to do… one of these days…
What if today were the day you took the step towards that goal? This is your chance. You can learn about taking that step to writing your stories HERE.
