“You’re going to come across people in your life who will say all the right words at all the right times. But in the end, it’s always their actions you should judge them by. It’s actions, not words, that matter.”

-Nicholas Sparks

This one reminds me of another quote I am quite fond of: ‘Most people talk a lot, few are up for the moment’ (Triple X, movie). Here, Sparks means the same thing; don’t be the person who talks all the time but doesn’t follow through. No one likes a flake. If you flake on things, or just don’t complete things you say you are going to, then people will begin to stop relying on you. If you keep it up long enough, people will view you as completely unreliable, and eventually not even trustworthy. It’s a very slippery slope that you never want to get caught on. Instead, only promise to do things you know you can finish; and if you can’t, then tell the person. That way, the person you are interacting with will know what to expect and won’t be let down. If anything, you can exceed their expectations! Be up for the moment whenever it comes.