Can you think of a time where less talk and more action might be more beneficial?
My garden is having a make-over; the decking is getting replaced with a patio, the boggy area in the bottom corner will become a summer house and mood lighting will illuminate the myriad of nooks and crannies. This is a decision we made six years ago. Despite this my herbaceous borders have not yet been started so don’t pay me a visit just yet! It’s been discussed more times than the oven has been switched on in those six years and yet I still look out of the back window and see a garden that probably looks at its best under six inches of snow.
Recently my mother remarked; “I thought you said that you were going to make your garden look nice – have you changed your mind?” Bless her, and whilst there’s been no change of plan, I have just not pulled my finger, or spade, out. I did get as far as having a gardener come round and take a look but he probably won’t remember as he’s probably been too busy dealing with those customers who put their money where their mouth was!
‘You’re all talk and no action!’
Is this something you’ve heard regularly? It can be a tough pill to swallow but in my horticultural case, it’s a criticism that I need to take square on the chin. Where might it be relevant in your world? Where could you have been over promising and under delivering? Is there something you have been talking about doing for what seems like an eternity, but the words have never quite translated into anything tangible or resembled anything like progress? There are two ways in which you can address this words versus action imbalance: you could back up the verbals with activity or you could choose to reduce them – which is it to be?
Stop and think about the conversations you’ve had over the last week; how many times can you recall that you’ve either stated or promised that you would take action? If you’ve got a 50% success rate of following through on your actions then you’re probably doing better than most, but what is stopping us from actually doing what we say we are going to do? At best it’s forgetful but at it’s worst it’s unreliable or untrustworthy and could severely impact your relationships.
If you are aware that the chances of carrying out your commitment are slim, why say it or write it in the first place? Who might you have left hanging, wondering what better offer you had received? Now don’t get me wrong here, I’m firmly a member of the ‘it’s good to talk’ fan club so please don’t read this and think that the insertion of a sock to plug the erroneous hole is the answer. Keep on making conversation, giving your opinion, and passing the time of day but you also need to challenge yourself to back up your words with actions if you are suggesting that an action is imminent. What a great reputation to have – someone who does what they say they’re going to do and is true to their word.
‘True to your word’ is certainly powerful statement that I think we’d all like to hear. When you get it right everything in your garden will be rosy, mine may take a little longer!
