I used to love to sit in the coffee shops and sip my coffee and just read the paper. But also, I loved listening to all the talking going on. People would be expounding on how they would run the government, how they would do this or that and basically talking about what they wanted to see the country be like. It was always interesting to hear different opinions. And then I began to notice as time went on that most of what I saw people do was talk. No one was willing to step up and do anything to make a change or step up to correct something wrong happening around us. Many would not even register to vote and yet would tell all they would do to change the country. Registering to vote would be the first step.
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I believe and always have believed that we must stand up for what is right no matter who else stands up. Sometimes we are standing alone. But if no one ever stands up, then wrongs will never be righted. I have friends that have animal rescues and they stand up against the abuse of animals and try to rescue and find homes for all they can. Some people work to stop the mistreatment and exploitation of wild animals. If no one ever did this, just imagine the horrors all the pets would be going through and all the abuse and exploitation that wildlife would endure. It takes courage to step up like that and take on the battle when most people would not. But if you want change you have to be willing to take the battles that come with it.
So, how do you get this courage? I think we learn it from watching others. We also learn what and who to invest our time and energy on. Some people will never change and so you must move on in life and find those that are in harmony with your beliefs. There will be haters and those that criticize you for standing up but if you believe strong enough in what you are doing, then they will not matter. It is by far better to be a leader in righting wrongs than it is to be a mindless follower of something that is wrong. Those people only perpetuate the wrongs and do nothing to help create a way to correct the wrong or at least stop the wrong. So, when the haters start attacking you, feel proud that you are doing something right.
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I have people ask me all the time where my strength comes from. Let me first say it comes from my faith in God for I know He carries me when I can not carry myself. He lifts me up and gets me back on my feet. Being courageous does not come from physical endurance. It comes from mental endurance and the ability to separate things that matter from things that do not. I have been knocked down many times and yet, with God’s help, I manage to get myself back up and going again. Being courageous requires you to exercise your mind, study and know what is right and what is wrong, have faith in yourself and what you believe and then make that effort to take that first step.
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The reward comes when you see something that is wrong stopped or fixed. What a feeling of accomplishment that is. It will not matter if others did not agree with you. What will matter is seeing abuse stopped, mistreatment stopped, laws changed that need to be changed, companies held accountable..whatever it was you were standing up for. Be proud of yourself when you stand up for something or someone. In a world where many are too timid, too self-absorbed, too busy or anything else to stand up for something, I believe that makes you heroic when you do stand up to help right a wrong. What you stand up for could affect your loved ones in a positive way. It could help lift someone up that was beaten down or help make the world a safer place for all. Are you the change you want to see in the world?
Work The Dream 