Walk Our Talk

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When there are a few cliches and idioms for the same thing, I think it indicates a universal human struggle.

Walk your talk
Practice what you preach
Talk a good game
Put words into action
Do as I say, not as I do
Actions speak louder than words
Put your money where your mouth is

Wow, that is a pretty long list, we must struggle with this one a lot!!

I do.

Do you?

I teach clients the importance of caring for themselves all day long, yet I work 10-12 hour days continuously.
I encourage others to take time off from work, and yet I feel guilty when I take it.
I teach others how to create and hold boundaries to protect themselves, and then I say yes to things I want to say no to.

It is important that we call ourselves out on these inconsistencies periodically.

Otherwise, we set unhealthy patterns and create lives that are not sustainable. More importantly, we know in our hearts we aren't in alignment with our values, and that leads to feelings of inauthenticity and shame. Two things we want to avoid if we are striving to be our best selves and be compassionate people in the world.

This week, I'm checking in with myself and making some adjustments, I hope you will too.

Here are some prompts to get us thinking:

  • Are there things I encourage others to do, but won't make time for them myself?

  • Do I admire what others are doing, but I'm not willing to try something new?

  • Am I critical or judgemental of someone's choice, yet do that same thing myself?

  • Do I espouse certain ethics, but secretly do the opposite?

  • Am I teaching my kids one thing and not holding to it myself?

  • Do I want people to think I have it all together, but I actually feel like a hot mess inside?

  • Am I frustrated something isn't happening for me, but not really taking any action toward it?

  • Do I break the promises I make to myself or others?


We all struggle with this. That's why there are so many phrases in our society that illustrate our struggle.

I haven't been walking my self-care talk lately, but I'm currently taking some days off on a trip with friends to celebrate our birthdays. I'm on day two of our trip and finally starting to decompress. In this time, I am thinking deeply about how to better practice what I preach. Sometimes we need a reset button to help us pause and reflect on where we have wandered off track.

Here is the sign outside my spa hotel room:


 
 

This sign is a reminder to walk my talk. I see the amazing qualities in my clients and help them believe in themselves, but sometimes I forget to help myself with that. I'm trying to befriend myself again this week, and enjoy my own presence a little more intentionally. I'm actually not too bad to hang out with after all.

If you need help with boundary settings or meeting your goals, a fantastic coach and author, Sherry Danner, is offering a brand new program. I'm signing up because she is the best boundaries teacher (and I have read them all). I'm rededicating myself to practicing what I preach so I'm putting my money where my mouth is, no more talking a good game, let's do this! And that was fun to try to use as many of those phrases as possible in one sentence! Check out Sherry's program here.

Let's walk our talk as the kind compassionate people we are,
Ginger

 

P.S. I was journaling last night and found these tools helpful in making a plan to put my words into action: Alignment, The Power of Yet, Alive Again, What is Easy for You?