Without Words

St. Francis of Assisi once said, "Preach the Gospel every day, and if necessary use words."

For the past week, I have been in the recording studio morning till late in the evening hammering out the vocals for my latest CD, due out Aug. 23, 2008. To protect my voice when I am recording, I take a "vocal leave of absence" during the days of recording. So for the past few days and for the next four more days, I am dedicated to mandatory silence.

I want to say a special "Thank You" for everyone understanding why I have not returned phone calls or been "over the top" in my vocal expressions of love this past week. When I am on vocal rest, it means no talking, no whispering, no coughing,....not a sound. For a woman, that can be torture. :(

Whenever I have to do this, however, I simply offer it up to God as a type of fast. It seems sometimes we are so busy making noise that we fail to embrace the silence. In fact, many of us have a hard time just sitting in silence. Instead, we turn on the radio, turn on the TV, call a friend, etc.

It is amazing how much you hear when you are not talking. Not only do you become more aware of the sounds around you, but you are more in tuned with the voices within you.

This week, my friends and family have had to communicate with me through actions and not words. They follow my actions, hand gestures, sign language, they look for non-verbal cues, and they watch my eyes. It is amazing how actions really do speak louder than words.

Last night on Donny Deutsch's "The Big Idea" a highly powerful body language specialist from the White House was talking about the power of our unspoken words. In fact over 93% of all communication is non-verbal. That means that people read your life by what they see far more than what they hear.

The question is: What message are you giving? Do you say one thing and live another? Do you act confident, yet give off insecurity and fear? Do you claim to be a spiritual being full of Faith in God, yet you crumble at the sight of a storm in your life?

Today, I encourage you to let your life speak volumes. Let your actions speak louder than words. Read this little story from my book, "Mission Possible" and let it speak to your life:

Rosa was the mother of eight beautiful children. Needless to say, her life was hectic. But one day seemed more challenging than usual as her youngest boy kept repeatedly stepping on her heels. Rosa said, “As I was trying to do my chores, he was in my way all day. Every time I turned around I would bump into him. So I gently suggested that he go outside and play. But he just smiled at me and said, ‘That’s OK, Mommy, I would much rather be with you.’ And he just continued to hum a little song and walk behind me. As the day wore on, my patience wore down. I finally insisted that he go outside with the other kids. When he said he didn’t want to, I asked him why. He looked at me so innocently and said, ‘Well, Mommy, in Sunday school, my teacher told me to walk in Jesus’ footsteps. But since I can’t see Jesus, I decided to walk in yours.’ “

Leadership is influence. Whether you are aware of it or not, you are greatly influencing others with you actions everyday. Is your leadership worth following?