Is my life my message?

I snagged a great quote today from "somebody's" blog.  It really woke me up to reality.  In the simplicity of Mohandas Gandhi it is merely this:  "My life is my message."

I think the reason it hit me so strongly was because of facebook.  Here is a platform for people to "update" their status and send any message they desire out into the cosmos.  They can be bold, they can try to be funny, they are sarcastic, they are uplifting, they are depressing, they are daring, they are cryptic, they are informational.

I often wonder how truly these messages reflect the person who posts them.  It is one thing to sound bold; it is another matter entirely to live bold. 

A few days ago I saw another quote that resonated with me.  It was actually from Joseph Smith's facebook page.  (As I think about it, I wonder how pleased Joseph is to note that someone has made him a facebook page...)  I am actually a fan of his page because I enjoy receiving daily quotes attributed to this remarkable man, who's life was most certainly his message.  His quote was this:
         I am at all times willing to give up everything that is wrong, for I wish this people to have a virtuous leader.(History of the Church, 6:412)

This caused me to wonder if we replaced the word leader, with "mother", or "patriarch", or "teacher", could we be able to say the same thing?  Or rather, could we be willing to live the same thing?

I think we too often sell ourselves short.  We don't live up to our potential.  We may talk the big talk, but in reality do we walk it?  Do our choices and our priorities and our habits align with what we want others to think about us?

Well, this is some food for thought for me.  I want to be a virtuous wife, and mother, and grandmother, and daughter, and teacher, and student, and friend.  Life is never easy, but we can certainly make it more difficult by poor choices.  I, for one, am going to try to live my message.