Some People Talk About Values Louder Than They Live Them

If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the years: the loudest words on someone's lips are often the ones they struggle to live the most.

The people who rant about honesty are often the least trustworthy.

Those who preach integrity bail the moment it becomes inconvenient.

Those who claim loyalty over everything are the first to betray when someone is no longer useful.

It’s fascinating to watch.

Too many get caught up in what someone says and what they promise—that they overlook their patterns of behavior.

Talking about values is easy.

Showing up consistently—especially when your face is two inches from the fire?

That’s a whole different conversation.

This is why many stop respecting the businesses or leaders they once cheered for.

They see what their leaders say and the gap in how they lead.

They say they care about the customer

…yet let broken systems stay broken, miss deadlines, or justify mediocre service with empty excuses.

They say their team matters most 

…but overwork them, under-resource them, and leave them out of the decisions that impact their day-to-day.

They say they want to be the best 

…but resist feedback, cut corners, or put ego above improvement.

They say they’re committed to excellence 

…but only when it’s easy, visible, or directly rewarded.

They say people over profits 

…but only until profits are at risk.

It’s not just inconsistency. It’s hypocrisy. And that’s the problem.

Because had they not been so loud and boastful, people would’ve given them grace for simply being unaware.

But when you preach and can verbalize the standard…

When you say all the right things… then do the opposite?

It's no longer ignorance. It's a choice.

We’re quick to spot hypocrisy in others.

Yet slow to ask where others might see it in us.

The reason we feel blindsided by other people’s behavior and decisions is because we assume what they say is the truth.

We hear confident words, feel good intentions—and take it at face value.

Instead of seeing things as they are, for what they are.

Then making decisions based on patterns, not promises.

This requires discernment and the only way we develop it is by first recognizing where we are inconsistent in our own lives—and what influences that behavior in us.

When you see your own blindspots, you’re less shocked by someone else’s.

When you understand your own contradictions, you stop expecting others to be perfectly aligned all the time.

You move from confusion to clarity.

From betrayal to neutrality.

From frustration to focus.

You stop operating from illusion—and start walking through the world with eyes wide open.

So remember: awareness isn’t just about spotting the gap in others.

It’s about closing the gap in yourself.