I stand for civility—in the spoken and written word, and in
deed.
I stand for rational discourse between individuals who
understand how to reason, how to see both sides of an issue, how to argue with
wit and passion, and how to gracefully lose an argument.
I stand for differing opinions, stated with eloquence and fervor, that result
not in heated, angry screaming matches, “unfriending,” and severed ties, but in
more powerful friendships and relationships.
I stand for the people who will hold a mirror up to my actions and make sure I
like what I see, and will beseech me to do the same for them.
I stand for good grammar, punctuation, spelling, and the
ability to convey ideas in writing in ways that entertain, enlighten, and
change hearts and minds. Want to be better at this? Read more books.
I stand for
“finding flow” in one’s work, and in one’s play.
Far too few of us try, and oh, what we miss!
I stand for grace. I stand for maturity. I stand for personal responsibility, always.
I stand for owning up to one's mistakes. I stand for apologies—true, heartfelt
apologies with only one purpose: to make the wronged party feel less so.
I stand for telling those you love that you love them. Yes,
actions are much louder, much more profound, and much more telling. But words
matter, too. Putting your heart out there, putting your phone down, looking
someone in the eye and telling them you love them and admire them and respect
them and cherish them makes a difference. People need to hear this, or they shrivel
up, and then they give up.
I stand for actions speaking volumes. I stand for action,
period.
I stand for taking a step back, for pausing, for reflecting, for gathering
one’s thoughts, for asking these three most important questions internally before speaking:
- Is it true?
- Is it kind?
- Is it necessary?
I stand for occupying your moments. I stand for pursuing
your dreams. I stand for dreaming big.
I stand for
listening.
I stand for
true customer service, a.k.a. excellence, where providers truly
see
those whom they serve, who reward loyalty with heartfelt thanks, and who always
strive to make the world a better place through their products or services, no
matter how small those may appear to be.
(Do you even know who your customers are? No matter what job you perform, or
career you invest yourself in, or artistic talents you share with the world,
you have customers--not just the obvious ones, either. Get to know them, and thank them for spreading what you do
even farther.)
I stand for living this life, the only one we are guaranteed, as fully as possible. Time is so short!
I stand for beliefs that unite us, not divide us. I stand
for standing up for what one believes, but also to being open to changing one’s
beliefs when they no longer serve in a positive way.
Most of all, I stand for defending one’s beliefs, ideally
using large helpings of reason and
logic, with a wee bit of emotion tossed in. Beliefs should be
defensible, not just traditions passed down from generation to generation, with
no further thought put behind them, no testing done.
Defend your beliefs from experience, not from hearsay. Never
stop asking questions!
What do you stand for?