“What you do speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you say.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

When we want to check in with how we’re doing in our efforts to “be a good person” we can simply observe our actions.

If in the past we were someone who thought hurtful things and then said them out loud but now are able to observe our thoughts before saying them, then we can gauge that we are progressing towards a more mindful life.

We create love, peace, happiness, growth and nurturing through our actions. Of course, what we do on the outside starts with what happens on the inside, so our thoughts are important too, but really, we have less control over these than what we do. So our actions are our best guide posts if we want to be of benefit in this life.

If we act with love and kindness we will also feel the benefit ourselves—in everything we do.

Actions are also an important response to injustice. It’s not enough to simply not think things that are harmful to others, or send people who are suffering positive thoughts. We must act if we really want to see lessen the hatred and suffering in the world around us.

To live a mindful life we need to act, to be of benefit to our fellow beings, human and otherwise, and the planet. Action is the natural progression from awareness.

It is not enough to just be aware—or to go around saying we are enlightened or “spiritual.” We need to act accordingly. We need to go out and create a brighter more bearable world. We need to find ways to be of benefit, in even the littlest things we do. 

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Relephant read:

I Know How Close You Are to God by how Kind You Are.

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Bonus: Watch Mike drawing this week’s comic:

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Author & artist: Mike Medaglia

Editor: Khara-Jade Warren

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