When you start learning about proper fiction writing and storytelling (a craft that reflects the journey of life more than anything I can think of) one piece of advice that you’ll hear time and time again is the maxim “show don’t tell” what this means is that instead of writing out what something feels instead show the reader how they feel through actions. Let me give an example.
So instead of writing a line that goes “Bob was sad.” instead you’d say something along the lines of “Bob dropped to his knees, tears streaming down his face. His heart seemed frozen in his chest as the ground before him blurred.” or something like that. When you show the actions instead of just say the words there is far more power to it.
And the same is true of a man’s life. When you want to know the measure of someone, who they truly are, you don’t focus on the words that they say or the front that they put up. Anyone can say anything and can pretend to be anything. It’s a person’s actions that defines them and shows you who they actually are. And it’s no different for you.
Actions Have Power
So I’ll be the first to say that your thoughts have power. And that actions often spring from thoughts and that they’re tied together. However one cannot simply “think” himself into something. You cannot think yourself into being a brave man. You cannot think yourself into being stronger. You cannot think yourself into being a champion (not matter what coaches say).
Thought plays a role and words have their purpose but ultimately it is action that defines who you are and what you are all about. Good intentions don’t mean a whole lot in this world. Taking action does. Actions have power to change yourself and the world and people around you. They speak who you are louder than words ever could.
We’ve all know the guy who calls you “bro” yet never has your back. We all know the guys that says if he was in the situation this is how he would have handled it, yet he handles nothing in his life. We’ve all known the person that says that you can trust them but then takes actions that shows that you absolutely cannot. And so on and so forth.
Let Your Actions Speak For You
I’ve never been a big fan of having a big mouth. In many cases it’s a liability more than anything else. I think one trait of maturity and masculinity is as much as possible letting your actions do the talking for you. Words don’t mean much to others anyways. We all know that someone can say whatever they want and it doesn’t mean anything.
And this goes beyond just your relations with other people as well. When you look at the kind of person, the kind of man that you want to be. If you’re not taking actions each and every day to become that man then it’ll never happen. You can think all the thoughts that you want and say whatever words that you want to yourself but it’s not going to happen.
Actions are the chisel that shapes your soul and your character. When you look at who you want to be (or don’t want to be) it’s actions that’ll get you there (or not). For example one piece of writing advice is start writing, no matter what. If you’re not producing words everyday then you’re not a writer. You’re just pretending to be. It’s the actual act of writing that makes one writer. Nothing else.
Shape Your Future With Your Actions
Let your actions speak for you and forge you into the man that you want to be. If you want to be confident then take confident action. If you want to be strong then take the actions that a strong man would take. Step into the arena and put things on the line. Stop sitting on the sidelines lost in thought and deliberation. You have to step out and take action for anything to happen.
Its your actions combined with the winds of fate that determine where you end up and how you end up. Action is infinitely more powerful than thought no matter what the turn of the century gurus say. Acta non verba. Deeds not words. That’s how you define yourself and who you are and that’s how you shape yourself into the man you want to be.
If anything I said here interests you I’d highly recommend you check out The Ultimate Alpha Collection which is a compilation of 16 of my books for the price of 5. It covers everything from being a man to making money to getting the right mindset to getting girls to fighting and more and is a resource no man should be without. Pick up your copy today!
-Charles Sledge
