DO it Well

We are in the midst of several construction projects. Which means mess and mayhem and clutter. As part of this process I am creating specific pieces for us to read each day, this being one of them. I found the frame for $5 at an antique shop and the paper was a scrap from my table bin. I made several attempts to fit it all into the small opening and this is the one that finally worked. It is already hung up ready to remind us each day about what defines us.

It isn’t what we say or think that defines us, but what we do.

– Jane Austen 1817

I am a huge Jane Austen fan. She was a woman who was confined by her station in life. She was the unmarried daughter of a Minister, which meant she would be dependent all her life unless she married. She didn’t want that, so she dared to write and have it printed for everyone to read. She found a way to make an indelible mark on the world. She wrote books, five to be exact. Those books have become legends in the literary world and provided some of the most engaging characters ever written. She dissected and diagnosed the ins and outs of relationships in such a way that we can see ourselves and those we love in her characters.

In each of her books there are talkers and there are doers. How they interact, how they live and thrive and fail helps us better understand those same characters in our own lives. Because we can talk all we want. We can think and ponder and contemplate for days on end. In the end what really matters is what we do. What we actually DO with our lives, our gifts, our resources is really what defines us. Are we kind? Are we thoughtful? Are we generous, or sturdy? Do we do things without expecting praise, or do we do those things because we will get praise? How do we treat others, especially those who are close to our heart? And how do we treat ourselves?

Our actions tell the world everything. What we DO is a direct reflection of our thoughts and feelings. We may chatter and gab, talk and gossip, yet it is those times when we get moving that define us to those people in our lives. When we make mistakes, how do we confess and ask for forgiveness? When we triumph, how do we share that moment with others? And when we live out our daily lives, the routine, boring, mundane tasks and events that take up our time, how do we treat those who cross our path? Our actions tell the world who we really are, which may or may not be the person we project in social media. It is what we do that defines us to the world.

So today, do what you do wholeheartedly, with kindness and generosity. Be you and do it well!