Does what you feel on the inside match your actions on the outside?

We all have heard the phrase that mere words are not enough. That actions speak louder than words. Though actions speak louder than words, words are just as important. It is the actions that accompany the words that count (in my mind at least). Just like in the bible where it explains that "faith without works is dead", this applies equally in life. Promises, proclamations, and declarations without actions are pointless. A man's word is his bond (at least it should be).

Many times when we say we are going to do things, what is our motivation behind it? Are we doing it because we want to? Are we doing it for ourselves? Are we doing it to make someone else happy? Are we doing it for the approval of others?

I'm saying all this to say, a lot of broken promises and empty words can be avoided if we just said and did what we felt on the inside. What we knew to be genuine and true to ourselves. Yes, it is ok to sacrifice and do things for others that we normally wouldn't do, especially if it's something positive. The problem is when the help goes to far, when you cannot allow the word "no" to exit your lips. The problem comes in when we say things, just to make someone else happy, knowing that in our hearts we dont mean it, or dont know the fullness of how we mean it yet. Dont act a certain way for the approval of others, at the end of the day you will only end up feeling inauthentic. I suggest you, to just be you, even if the real "you", isnt quite so great. If you dont like who you are, then work to change it, but dont be a chameleon (be one way today and another way tomorrow just to blend in with what/who you're around).

Just be genuine to yourself first, then you will find that you can be genuine to everyone else. You will find that with this comes so much peace and you will attract genuineness from others.