Do your actions line up with your words?

Gandhi is credited with saying “You must be the change you wish to see in the world”, and although I did not personally hear him say it, I have never questioned its authenticity. Gandhi lived his entire life in a way that actually brought about change. But what does it actually mean to ‘be the change’? How is it even applicable in this day and age? The answer to this can be found in another quote from Gandhi, “To believe in something, and not to live it, is dishonest.”

If you believe something, then you should be living it as your truth. For example, I believe that climate change is real, and I believe that things are only going to get worse, if we do not make the necessary changes. I can write letters to government officials, send out massive emails, tweets, and Facebook posts telling everyone that we have got to make changes or we are headed for major crisis. None of that will do much good if I am not doing anything to bring about this change, myself. If I am not living it, how will anyone believe that what I am ranting about is actually a serious issue?

In order for there to be change on a global level, there has to first be change on an individual level. Once I actually started living my belief, I began to see changes in my own life; I believe that the longer I continue to live my beliefs, these changes will continue to be evident and eventually others will take notice and start asking questions, which will then open doors and bring opportunities to bring about change on a larger scale.

Now, does this mean that you have to wait until every action you make says you believe something? No, absolutely not. However, if you want to write letters, and speak to people about an issue that you are passionate about, it helps give credibility to your words when you have the actions to back it up.

A side benefit I have begun to notice, from aligning my actions with my beliefs, is I have less internal stress. That doesn’t mean I do not have stress, and that my life is perfect, but I’m no longer fighting a battle with myself. I didn’t even realize that this had been going on, but once I started making changes, I started sleeping better and found myself being more at peace.

What are some of your beliefs? Would anyone know it by watching you, or do you live more of a “do as I say not as I do” type of life?