Be objective and stand up for what you believe in.

                                                                              .

Introduction

Every day we must decide on something and sometimes it is very hard to do that because you want to make sure you are making the right decision. One thing is that you should set standards for yourself and make decisions that line up with your standards even if it means becoming very unpopular.

Too many of us are allowing our association with friends, family, and organizations to influence our decision-making. Some of us say one thing privately but publicly we say something else because of our association and trying to please people.

It is important for you to stand up for what you believe in. You should be objective and respect the opinions of others. The truth is if some of us were not associated with certain friends and organizations, our opinions would also be different. Therefore, I encourage you today to not let your association impact your decision.

Be objective and stand up for what you believe in.

This is political season and sometimes I wonder if we ever have a break from political season because it seems everyday it is all about politics. Some of us have allowed ourselves to be so intertwined with the political parties that we do not see anything wrong with some of the decisions they make. It is ok to disagree with some of the decisions your party made. Do not let your association with a political party limit your thinking. You must think outside the box and be independent. I admire individuals who did not allow their family to influence them on who they should support politically. Too many people associate themselves with political parties because their family members were supporters of the party.

Some of you have friends and your association with them influences your decision. You are afraid to say something different from what they say. It is true that if you do say something different, that friend may also have a problem with that and so you end up agreeing with everything your friend says but subconsciously you do not agree with them. However, if you truly care, you should be frank and tell that friend how you feel. It is not worth keeping a friend if you cannot disagree with that friend.

Some of you are employees of a company and the company may make decisions contrary to your belief and standards, but you are publicly promoting the company. You can still work for the company, but you do not have to praise them for something you do not believe in. Perhaps it is best you be quiet and do not participate. Some of you also take things personally when others express an opinion about your company. The truth is if some of you were not working for that company, your opinion may have been the same as others. Of course, you must use common sense and as an employee, you should not publicly criticize your company but respect the opinions of others and do not let your association with that company stop you from thinking freely.

Conclusion

I know when one can find common ground with someone, it tends to bring them together and so some of their decisions may be similar. However, there will be cases in which you do not agree, and you should stand your ground because you are not going to agree with everything that your friend, family, or organization says.

Some of our associations also preclude us from associating with others because of what those you associated with told you about the other individuals. It is important to be careful who you associate with. Sometimes, they can have great influences on your life. At the same time though, you must take a stand and be firm and do not let anyone com