What Is Your Message to the World?
"My life is my message." — Mahatma Gandhi
"Has there ever been a time in your life when your actions differed from your words and beliefs? If you are like most people (including myself), there are times when it may be hard to walk the talk. It is easy to speak our truth when we are around those who openly support and agree with us. On the other hand, it can be a bit more challenging to stand in our truth, walking the talk, when there are people around us who have different beliefs or opposing points of view.
"The need for approval can be an interesting trap; if we are not careful, it can woo us into compromising our integrity. When that happens, it usually spills over into many different areas of our life. Then what do we really have left except a life that is lived in the darkened shadows of our own self-doubt and diminished self-respect? Developing consistency between what we believe and demonstrating it by how we live in the world is one of the greatest challenges life has to offer, and it is also the mark of a spiritually evolving individual. Spiritually mature people cannot be bought by the world's opinions.
"When I think of lives lived with spiritual integrity, I think of people like Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King. These men walked their talk. Gandhi was a great example of an individual who, by his actions, told the world who he was, what he valued, and what he stood for. Not only did he talk the talk, he walked the talk. His life was a classic example of the old adage 'Actions speak louder than words.' Likewise, Martin Luther King was unbending in his commitment to showing the world who he knew himself to be. I have often wondered what gives people like Gandhi and King the fortitude to stand in their truth and live it . . . to actually be it, even in the face of violent opposition. I believe it had everything to do with the relationship they had with their God. It fully enveloped them to the point that they became what they believed. Spirituality, compassion, loving-kindness, integrity, equality, nonjudgment, and nonviolence are words synonymous with both of these great men. Their lives became their message, and the world knew it.
"You and I are no different. We all have a message to bring to the world. That is why we are here. Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, 'What you are speaks so loudly, I can't hear a word you say.' What is your message to the world? What do you stand for? Are you committed to living it 24/7, irrespective of who you are with or where you may be? What role does your relationship with God play in your message?
"Once you have this clarity, your life will automatically become your message because you will live authentically from the inside out, allowing the presence of God within to permeate the essence of your every thought, driving every word, deed, and action. How you choose to express what you are makes it your message. Now more than ever, the world needs your message. Gandhi and King knew it. So do you and I. Let's walk the talk together."
Mindfulness
Practice
• "Become the observer of your words and actions today.
• "Listen to what you say and witness how you act. Do those things change according to whose company you are in? Do you find yourself compromising what you believe in in order to accommodate others? Is there any inconsistency between what you know to be your truth and how you are showing up in the world today?
• "If there is, just gently forgive yourself, take a deep breath, and realign your words and actions with your beliefs.
• "Then, with great mindfulness, walk the talk because what you are does truly speak volumes more than what you say."
