Actions Speak Louder than Words
Welcome to the eighteenth edition of “In Touch.” As always, I would love to continue the conversation so please hit “reply” and let me know what you think.
Story of the Week: Actions Speak Louder than Words
Today’s story is inspired by the words of Dr. Christoforos Hadjikyprianou, President of European University Cyprus.
When Christoforos took the podium at the recent InBusiness Awards, he shared a vivid story about former US President Bill Clinton.
When Clinton visited Cyprus in 2012, at the invitation of European University Cyprus, the former US President spoke about how Cyprus could gain a competitive advantage by investing in solar energy. A week later, he delivered an almost identical address to a university audience in Costa Rica. In fact, the only things he changed were the names of the country and the university. Ten years after he gave that address, Costa Rica produces 90% of its energy using solar, while Cyprus utilises solar energy to produce less than 15% of its total needs.
Both countries heard the same message, but they (re)acted in completely different ways. As Clinton predicted, Costa Rica is now considered one of the top destinations for sustainable tourism. In contrast, only this week, the big debate in Cyprus concerned the high price of electricity.
We all live in an era which gives us access to more information than ever before, and yet some countries/regions/cities/organisations/individuals continue to fail where others succeed and thrive in the face of adversity. The distance between setting goals and actually achieving them is, to a great extent, measured by the way and the speed at which we act, once we have absorbed and understood all the information related to those goals. People in Costa Rica and Cyprus both received identical advice from Bill Clinton but only one country acted on it.
I am fortunate in having the opportunity to address hundreds of people who dream of creating a better life for themselves. If you are one of them dear reader, you have probably heard me talking about how, over 20 years ago, hearing Jeffrey Gitomer speak in the USA inspired me to become a speaker myself. As soon as I arrived home, I took his advice to heart and implemented it with ferocity. As a result, I can safely say that today I am indeed living my dream.
But here is a sad truth: The majority of people I meet are hesitant to take immediate action, even though they know precisely what they need to do. These days we are bombarded with advice from all sides, and it can be difficult to know who’s right and who’s not. However, once we have thought things through and conclude, it’s not enough to stop there. It’s time to act and follow it through until we achieve our goal. It’s no coincidence that one of the best-known sayings is “Actions speak louder than words”.
Words of Wisdom
The difference between success and failure:
“The only difference between success and failure, is the ability to take action.”
Alexander Graham Bell, Inventor
On imperfection:
“Winners take imperfect action, losers are still perfecting the plan.”
Tony Robbins, Personal Development Speaker
A Question to Ponder, dear friend.
“Which actions are preventing you from achieving your goals?”
Hit reply and let me know what you believe.
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Best Regards,
Michael R. Virardi
