What you do is not nearly as important as you think. And what you think is important, is not nearly as important as what you do.
Circular logic? No. It’s a call to be humble. You may in fact be in a very important position, sitting behind a desk, running a company, or sitting on the floor, fixing a running toilet. Either way, you don’t make the job important. You are important in the eyes of the people you serve, be they citizens of a nation, an audience in a theater, or children in a classroom. You are their steward. There have been capable people before you, and there will be capable people after you. Have some humility. If you can’t do the job well, those eyes will look toward another.
Your thoughts drive your behavior. Self-images of grandeur are just as detrimental as the slumped shoulders of austerity. That’s not to say moderation is the answer. Wandering down the middle of a road puts you at risk of being hit from both sides. Pick your path and then walk it.
Sometimes … oftentimes, we create stories in our mind that influence our perception of our world; it’s people, and our place in it. This can lead to needless worry and apprehension or lull us into a false sense of comfort. Use vigilance.
Thinking, reflecting, assessing, all are important skills, if grounded in reality. However, thinking alone doesn’t provide the same feedback circle as taking action. That’s why what you do is more important than what you think. When you take action, you get a result. When you reflect on that result, you take action again, either to repeat the outcome or to get something new.
What you do is not nearly as important as you think. And what you think is important is not nearly as important as what you do.
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