Camerado! I give you my hand!

Camerado! I give you my hand!

Allons! The road is before us!

www.poochprofessor.com


Sunday, July 29, 2012

What Do You Stand For?


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 emotional intelligence, social intelligence, and common sense all being part of what we consider intellect.

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 paying attention, at all times, to what you are doing.


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?