“If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all,” this quote has been said and heard many times whether it’s at school or on social media. Some people tell others to not say anything if they can’t say anything nice, but what about themselves? There are harsh and mean words being said by them too.

These past months, I was watching and listening to my classmates, and I realized something. Many students at school would tell someone to not do something but then later, they would do the exact same thing. That’s not very respectable, especially if you are leading a group of people. Teachers, team captains, class presidents or any other leadership roles must know those roles are not just titles or positions. They require actions and examples if they want to be taken seriously.

Someone I admire, for leading by example, is my aunt. She raises two teen boys, and she expects them to go to go sleep early, be on technology for only a short period of time, read, and study the Bible. She believes that in order for her boys to act and behave the way she expects them to, she also has to do the things she demands of them.

I look up to my aunt for many things, especially about teaching kids. She always tries to talk gently with kids, because she says that even she, being an adult, doesn’t like being yelled at. I try to take her ways of action and apply it to my ways of teaching my siblings. When I want my younger sister and brother to take time outs from watching television, I stop watching it also. Nobody likes it if they’re demanded to do something their demander can’t do.

Another one of my favorite examples is Jesus. In the Bible, Jesus loved his disciples, but he never told them directly that he loved them. He showed them his agape love and care through his actions. He didn’t need to say it, his followers knew they were loved. When he preached about the ways of living life, he practiced what he preached. One of his more known pieces of advice is to love without discrimination and to pray for your enemies. While he was hung on the cross, he prayed for the soldiers who were torturing and making fun of him. This goes back to the famous saying, “actions speak louder than words,” I strongly agree with this, because people need to show by their actions instead of just talking and telling. Just as my English teacher always said, “Don’t tell me, show me.”

I believe it’s really important to be who you say you are, to act on your words and to lead by example. It’s quite exasperating when someone posts on social media inspiring or encouraging words or advice, but they don’t take that for themselves. If you want someone to do something, do it first and they will follow. 1 John 3:18 states “Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.”