We are judged by our actions, not our intentions.
For years, I was a great guy. Always thinking of others—buying flowers for a girlfriend, donating items to charity, buying something I saw at the mall just knowing my friend would love it—but seldom would I follow through with action. I was too busy changing the world. I’ll get the flowers next time or tell my friend I was thinking about them while at the mall. I was the nicest guy I knew.
Thinking the right thing and doing it are two different things. Humans cannot read minds.
The difference between actions and intentions may seem simple, but it took me years to realize the difference. My ego blurred the line between doing the right thing—action—and thinking the right thing—my intention. As a result, my conscience would nudge me, telling me something was wrong. As I ignored the feeling by keeping busy, my ego went to work convincing me I was this great and caring individual. My ego wants to keep me in a place I feel comfortable, so by blurring the lines between actions and intentions, it kept me believing I was more considerate of others than I actually was.
Three frogs are sitting on a log, one decides to jump. How many are left?
Three, the frog made a decision or had the intention to jump, but took no action.
I am judged by the world based upon what I do, not what I say or think.
What do you think?
photo credit: . SantiMB .