F*ck What You Say.
Held a solo ceremony last week to close out my 3-month semi-sabbatical and this chapter of my time in Canada...
Sat alone in my room, repeating a mantra, attempting to deeply repattern it into my being:
F*ck what you say.
I wrote a similar piece back in January (still a banger). This is important enough that it warrants repetition.
Eric Brown
"What you're doing speaks so loudly I can't hear what you're saying."
Talk is cheap. So unbelievably, unequivocally cheap. And this, from a guy who writes on the internet for a living.
I write. Writing is an act. I have 500+ pieces around the internet, millions of words. I have stared down the barrel of a blank page more times than most people have attempted anything.
You say you’re committed. You say you’re disciplined. You say you’re loving. You say you’re generous...
DO. YOUR. ACTIONS. REFLECT. THIS?
What you would say about yourself should be so EVIDENT IN YOUR ACTIONS that it doesn't need to be said.
“Those who speak don’t know, and those who know don’t speak.” — Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching.
The best exercise for this is the CCTV Thought Experiment:
The CCTV Experiment.
Imagine there is a CCTV camera over your shoulder. It follows you everywhere and broadcasts your life 24/7. There’s no audio. No one can hear anything you say. They can only see what you do. After a month of watching your actions—what would someone say about you and your life?
- Would they say you’re disciplined?
- Would they say you are a loving partner?
- Would they say you're happy?
- Would they say you care about climate change?
- Would they say you have healthy habits?
- Would they say you love yourself?
The only real ideology someone holds is the one demonstrated by their actions.
Biologically, it requires far more energy to act than to speak. If you really care about something, you act on it. If you truly believe in it, you do it.
If you want to know what someone believes, listen only to the story told by their actions.
- You say you care about climate change. Have you made even one hard decision to change your life and reduce your environmental impact?
- You say you’re a socialist and favour wealth redistribution. How much do you donate to charity? Do you find ways to pay more taxes, if it’s such a desirable virtue?
- You say you’re a gentleman, a man of honour. Do you open the car door for your woman? Do you rise when a female enters the room in acknowledgement and respect?
- You say you’re a leader. Do you have people that you lead? Do you take charge in your relationships and community? Is there anything—anything at all—that indicates you actually lead?
If you let it, this is deeply empowering. This catapults you to new levels of self-respect, integrity, and confidence.
By acting, you build a body of undeniable evidence. You root down into your proof-of-work. You stop questioning, doubting, debating, or wondering if you are who you say you are.
You are generous because you have a history of generous acts. You can deliver that statement with deep integrity and with the unshakeable knowledge of expending lifeforce toward that aim.
F*ck what you say. Show me what you do.
Show me who you are,
EB.