Courage of Conviction

Since this is a blog about courage in it’s many different forms, I want to take a moment today to write what I’ve learned about courage over the last few years.  I don’t know if it’s anything really profound or not, but I’d welcome your response and ideas about what courage means to you.

Courage to me is not only those times when one man stands up in a crowd and speaks his mind, even though everyone else disagrees with him.  It’s not just people who practice their faith openly in places where people would kill you because you are a particular faith.  It’s not just perservering beyond all you’ve got to finish a task, it’s much more.  These are the faces of courage we are used to seeing and we should. 

The other faces of courage that we often don’t hear about are quieter, yet carry just as much weight.  Courage is also being willing to let go and put your complete trust in another person, regardless of what the situation calls for.  Courage can also be those times when we decide to be completely out of control.  I don’t mean wild and acting like a monkey, but times when we determine that not being in control of a situation is the best option.  Letting go of control can be just as difficult as standing up in a room and voicing your opposing opinion.  I’m talking about times when courage calls you to let a situation take care of itself.  For someone who is highly dominent, it takes an act of courage to allow yourself to not be the decision maker, the decider, the arbiter.  It takes courage to see a challenge and allow others to figure out the answer for themselves.  It takes courage to realize and live by the motto “it’s not about me.” 

These are just some of the ways I’ve experienced courage, either by doing or seeing others do these things.  How about you?

Podcast Thursday is obviously been pushed back a couple of days.  Hey, I’m still new at this, so cut me some slack.  LOL.  At any rate, you can listen to the next edition of “The Keystone Report” here.  This time, I went to the other side of the aisle and interviewed Nathan Willcox of PennEnvironment about a new report that the organization released on rising temperatures in Pennsylvania cities.  It was a pretty good interview.  You’ll hear questions about the report, questions that critics of the the finds might ask, discussion about a few pieces of legislation and what PennEnvironment would like to see happen in regards to alternative energy. 

As a side bar, since this is my second podcast, the purpose of the podcast is not to be confrontational - it’s to give my guests an opportunity to speak beyond a 30-second sound bite.  It’s their opportunity to tell their story.  I believe too many of us shut off our listening to people we disagree with way to quickly.  I’ve learned a great deal over the past couple of years by listening.  I don’t have to agree, but atleast I know where someone is coming from. 

Next week I’ll do more of an introductory podcast telling the listeners what I’ll be focusing on, my style, and what they can expect from future podcasts.  This one you’ll want to listen to for one simple reason - you’ll find out who’s coming up. 

Earlier today I participated in a poll conducted by Quinnipiac Polling.  The questions were interesting.  It was primarily a presidential poll.  I was asked about head-to-head matchups as well as favorable/unfavorables about a handful of the candidates.  The first candidate I was asked about was Fred Thompson.  Fred against Hillary, who would I vote for?  Fred against Obama, same question.  How did I view Fred, favorable or unfavorable.  Same for Guiliani, McCain, Romney, Hillary, Gore, Obama, Edwards.  What about Guliania vs. Hillary and Guliani vs. Obama.  All the typical presidential questions.

The poll then turned to social issues, which I have to admit are not areas that I really care all that much about.  I was asked several questions about homosexuality - should homosexuals be allowed to get married, have a civil union, or nothing.  Was homosexuality morally wrong or ok.  I was asked if group x (fill in the blank with any number of special interest groups) had endorsed a candidate, would it make me more or less likely to support a candidate.  The answer for all of the groups for me was that it didn’t matter to me who endorsed a candidate.  I really wanted to explain, but there’s really no room for that in the phone poll.  The reason I wouldn’t be swayed by endorsement of groups is that I don’t who gets what endorsement, I’ll find out for myself where someone stands on an issue if it matters to me. 

The poll finished up with the party ID, am I more conservative, moderate, or liberal - which I answered libertarian, and what religion I am. 

I’ve never participated in a presential poll and I think its neat to say that I have.  I’ve seen the results of countless polls, and am now actually looking forward to seeing when the poll will come out and what the results are.

I warned you that I was going to make some changes.  Not only is the look and feel of the blog new and improved, but I’ve also made other changes as well. 

I changed the theme to be more in line with my business website - www.somedayisland.com.  If you visit the site, you’ll see what I mean. 

I created an “about” page which gives you a little insight into the direction this blog is heading. 

I created a new survey for you to participate in. 

I cut down on the number of categories - which means that a bunch of previous posts are now uncategorized.  They are still there, but you’ll have to search a bit more for them than previously.  All new posts will fit into the categories I’ve created.  I now have four link sections for your convenience - Business, Leadership, Networking, and Politics.  I’ll be adding more links to the first three as I come across worthy sites.  I may add another category - Development.  This would be a category of sites that are people-development oriented.  This could also include spiritual development.  We’ll see what happens here.  All in all, I’m open to suggestions of links you like and use. 

Enjoy the new Courage of Conviction.