Do people really live by clichés?

I know that they surface in my thoughts during conversations.

"Work smarter, not harder."

"The grass is always greener on the other side."

"You can't judge a book by a cover."

"Ignorance is bliss"

"Better safe than sorry."

But the one that is currently on my mind is...

"Actions speak louder than words."

Every cliché has holes...every one of them can be argued and flattened.  And the cliché that backs that up is..."Perception is everything"

Everyone hates politics but in order to move faster, further, and with less resistance in life you must be political in how you handle relationships, disagreements, teaching, learning, selling, asking, and backing off. 

Today was a day that I felt the political pain of not being and being diplomatic in my progression at work.

I worked less, schemed more. 

Questions I asked took me down a road of doing less of my job, but gaining more respect from my peers and supervisor.

The pain I feel is seeded in my upbringing that hard work is what matters...and it's not.  It's important to be agreeable, teachable, and allow others to lead, teach and understand where you are at...

Being lazy is one thing and understanding physically exerting doesn't translate into production.

So your actions might be loud, but the long term implications might be stale, reductive, and diminishing. And the proper words might be fruitful, engaging, and productive.  Find perspective in being diplomatic, learn how to communicate, and express yourself to gain the confidence in others.

That's what I hope meeting with a counselor will do for me.