Your Actions are Your Argument

"The world is changed by your example, not your opinion."

Brazilian lyricist and author, Paulo Coelho, once wrote that "the world is changed by your example, not your opinion." This sounds like parenting advice disguised as philosophy, and maybe it is. Think about it like raising kids. Your opinion is like giving one good lecture and hoping it sticks. Your example is like consistently modeling behavior over years. The first approach might get attention, but the second actually shapes character.

I've noticed that the most persuasive people rarely try to persuade anyone. They just live in a way that makes you think, "I want what they have." The parent who never lectures about work ethic but consistently shows up early and stays late. The friend who doesn't preach about generosity but always picks up the check. The colleague who doesn't give speeches about integrity but simply does what they say they'll do. This pattern shows up everywhere once you start looking for it. The companies that succeed long-term are the ones that consistently deliver value to customers, even when nobody's watching. Think of your favorite teachers. I had two professors for communication classes at Ohio University named Dr. Daniel Modaff and Dr. J.W. Smith. They didn’t inspire me by giving motivational speeches. Instead, they quietly demonstrated what curiosity and learning looked like in practice. They genuinely cared for me as one of their students. Asked me questions about life, showed an interest in me as a student-athlete, and offered to meet with me outside of class during their office hours every week. Their actions spoke far louder than any words.

There's a behavioral explanation for why examples work better than opinions. When someone tells you what to do, your brain immediately looks for reasons to disagree. It's a defense mechanism. But when someone shows you what's possible through their actions, your brain asks a different question: "How did they do that?" The same dynamic plays out in families, companies, and communities. The behavior that spreads isn't the one that sounds the smartest in meetings. It's the one that works in practice, day after day, even when it's hard. People can sense when your actions match your words, and they pay attention to that alignment. It's a signal that cuts through the noise. In a world full of opinions, consistent behavior becomes rare and super valuable.

Focusing on your example rather than your opinion actually makes your opinion more powerful. When people see you living according to certain principles, they become curious about those principles. Your life becomes the marketing campaign for your ideas. But here's what most people miss: examples compound slowly, then suddenly. You might spend years modeling certain behaviors with no apparent impact. Then one day, someone mentions that watching you changed how they think about something. Your example reached critical mass.

The world changes through this quiet accumulation of individual choices. Not through the loudest voices or the most clever arguments, but through the steady demonstration of what's possible when someone actually lives their values. The world changes one person at a time, one choice at a time, one example at a time. Your life is your argument. Make it a good one.