Thoughts. Speech. Actions.

This episode will teach you how to become a better person in the new year. It also highlights a point of view that can help you decide if your new goals are really necessary.

Hi, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, you’re listening to Voice of Sayar Henry podcast, and this is the first episode of the new year 2023. Thank you so much for tuning in to my voice and deciding to spend time with me today. I really hope you and your loved ones are in good health as we step into another new year. The last two years had been too exhausting and demanding for the good citizens of this country, so it’s only natural that people are expecting a different turn of event and some good news. However, all that is going on is usually beyond the control of most people. So for an average person, this new year is merely a reset point where he or she can choose to start over with everything that is going on in life. And in this episode, I’d like to share with you guys how I am going about that this year.  

For many of us, we rarely are satisfied with our life and thus a new year is usually perceived as an opportunity to aim for new goals or even to fix our bad habits in some way. But personally speaking, I don’t usually make resolutions for a new year as my process of starting over. That’s simply because my process starts in December rather than in January like most people do. I mean I have this idea of transitioning into the new year as a person who is already gaining momentum with his new goals. 

For example, if I think I should do more exercise in the new year, I don’t wait until the first day of January arrives. I start working out more right away in December. So, by the time other people with the same goal are struggling to form this new habit in the first week of January, I’m already someone who has been exercising for several weeks ahead of them. That way, I almost never experience the pressure of having to maintain the new year resolution throughout the first month of a year. It’s like I’m just doing whatever I am used to doing while others are figuring out how to establish something new as well as maintain it. So if you guys like this little philosophy of mine, you should start working on your new goal right after listening to this episode even if it is not the first day of a year or a month.

Now, apart from that mindset, I also have something else that I want to share with you today, or this year. Recently, I’ve learned a lesson in my personal life. I have come to the realization that the ability to align our thoughts, speech and action is probably the most important quality to possess not only as a matured and responsible adult but also as an emotionally balanced human being. Ironically, however, it is also something we tend to overlook quite often. 

I mean, for example, if you meet someone and ask “How are you?”, you are asking this question as a courtesy or a requirement of social interaction, not because you really, really, want to know what’s going on in this person’s life. Correct me if I’m wrong, but that’s how we greet each other 9 times out of 10. And then when we are listening to the response from that person, we’d often find ourselves blandly nodding just to appear as if we are into that conversation when in fact, we are preoccupied with the next words at the tip of our tongue, right?

So, even in everyday scenarios like these which we all have experienced countless times, our thoughts, speech, and actions are not aligned if we are not careful. And I think that’s really damaging to our social life and overall human experience.  

Now I don’t need to tell you that it is important to say what we mean and to act in accordance with our thoughts in social situations. Of course, we know this quality can help us foster honesty, authenticity, and trust in our relationships and interactions with others. But the more interesting thing, to me, is that achieving this quality can benefit us individually – even when we are not dealing with other people.

Let me explain it a little bit better with an example. Let’s say you have a goal to exercise more, but you are consistently making excuses or not following through on your intentions. In such cases, it may be helpful to reflect on your motivations and see if there are any underlying factors that are preventing you from acting in accordance with your thoughts. In this case, you need to know whether you are struggling to keep up with a goal that you really want, or if you’re just romanticizing with a goal that is nice-to-have-accomplished but doesn’t really align well with your priorities and values. The earlier you notice actions that are not coming from the right place, the better you’ll be able to fix it to follow through on more meaningful resolutions.     

In another word, aligning our thoughts, words, and actions, and being honest with ourselves is as important as being able to show these qualities in social interactions. It allows us to be more self-aware and conscious of our intentions and motivations. That can help us make choices that are in alignment with our values and goals.

So now, the question is, how can we get better at saying what we mean and acting exactly as we think?

Well, based on my life experiences and learning, there are some ways you can go about that.

The first tip is to practice mindfulness. You know, mindfulness is the practice of bringing our attention to the present moment in a non-judgmental way. When we are more mindful, we are better able to observe our thoughts and emotions without getting carried away by them. We can also reflect on what we want to say or do and understand why. This can help us to be more deliberate and intentional with our choice of words and course of action.

Then, the second tip is to pay attention to our language. I mean the words we use can shape our perception of the world and ourselves. So it’s important to be aware of the way we speak and the impact it can have. If we choose our words carefully and be conscious of the message we are trying to convey, our thoughts and speech can become one.

And then finally, we also need to practice active listening. When we are communicating with others, we should honestly engage with what they are saying. We can’t just nod our head and pretend we are interested. We should try to fully comprehend what others are talking about with relevant questions. This can help us better understand their perspective and respond in a way that is genuine and authentic. Besides, based on my experiences, giving full attention to the person who is speaking in front of you and interpreting his or her speech with a curious mind and a brave eye contact can help us overcome social awkwardness or even introversion to some degree. So you might want to practice that if you are an introvert like me. 

Oh, actually, there is another tip I should include. It’s about the way you speak. When you speak, I want you to do it consciously. That is, to speak as clearly as possible, and not to speak softly like you’re talking to yourself. Speaking clearly will help you concentrate what you really mean. As a result, your speech become much more articulate, and the other person can feel how genuine you are with your words. 

And that, boys and girls, is how you improve the ability to say what you mean and act what you think. Period. 

Well, I hope this episode brings some value to your first day of this new year 2023. Thank you for listening, and I hope you come back for more. 

I’d also like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to those listeners who are tuning in from the United States. You guys are awesome, and you’re the reason this educational podcast remains free for everyone. I can’t thank you enough.

Alright, let’s strive together to have a great year ahead, not only for ourselves, but also for the country we love and care about. Take care and stay safe wherever you are. I’ll see you in the next one. Goodbye for now.