#7. “Don’t be afraid to take a stand. The people that matter will not hold it against you.”
I used to care….REALLY care about what others would think if I was more aggressive with my opinion. I still care. The only difference is that these self conscious feelings will not stop me. I don’t let them. I can only hope that those who are important in my life will accept me no matter what I stand up for or what I believe.
“ Why not go out on a limb? That’s where all the fruit is.”
Mark Twain (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
~Mark Twain~
Now that’s a good quote, truly better than mine. Love the imagery.
I spent at least the first half of my life sticking like glue to the trunk of the tree, afraid to move. It took me a long time to ……change? That is really what it boils down to. There was no divine intervention that took place to transform me. I just got tired of the “me” that I had become. Somehow I was enlightened that change happens by changing your mind. It is purely psychological. You can remain the way you are, if you’re happy with that, or you can move on. Find new ways to interpret and live your life. Some significant losses and events in my life also gave me more reasons to venture out of my safe haven. When people you love die young……I think you know the rest.
Recently I took a stand by supporting a movement for environmental issues. The group made headlines around the world. Like many other movements, it has a strong message although not always delivered in a consistent, united or organized fashion. The cause reflected my beliefs, my morals and certainly my love for a clean world or “Mother Earth”, as this group refers to it.
I am a non-native working in a native community surrounded by chemical plants. I “get it”. I breathe it.
Taking a stand for this group took me on a couple walks of peaceful protest. I have to say I enjoyed every minute of it. The prospect of change taking place because people speak up, people reach out, people stand firm, is at the very least, inspiring.
Taking a stand can be easy, if you don’t think about the risks. You just get out there, balancing with whatever you have to stop you from falling. Pride, determination, strength or even disregard for what can happen because you believe it can’t be worse than playing it safe. There are times in your life when you gamble more. First day on the job….not so much. Veteran in the field…..let it rip. Just my opinion.
Limbs can break. Sometimes what we’re standing on is not as solid as we thought. We may or may not have been aware of that, but we got out there anyway. That’s the beauty of it. Hopefully, when we hit the ground, we are unscathed. There are many more trees to climb.
Great place to stand alone
Aguirre Springs, New Mexico
mishunderstood 
My boyfriend and I were looking into starting a business. I wanted to do something with green consulting, helping businesses or home-owners make the switch. That’s all on the back burner for now because we aren’t in a place to start a business but at the time people told me not to do that because something something the economy, people won’t be willing to make the switch. I was like “WHY NOT??” I still want to do it when if we end up starting a business.
Sorry not totally relevant, lol, but kind of!
Sounds like a great idea. I think the future is all about green. We can;t go anywhere else!
Wonderful analogy by Mark Twain and then how you added more along those symbols. This is a beautiful piece of writing; very honest and courageous in examining yourself, not liking what you see but at the same time loving and knowing yourself well enough to know there are always different options you have.