5 Ways to Stand Up for What You Believe In

It’s easy to stand up for what you believe in when it’s for your benefit.

But what do you do if someone else was in trouble?

Do you quickly lend a hand or defend a coworker even though it could spell disaster?

Would you silently watch the horror unfold in front of you? 

It’s not always easy to stand up for what you believe in.

But here are a few ways to give you a bit more courage to do the right thing every time:

How to stand up for what you believe in:

1. Stay informed and educated on the issue

In this day and age, where things change more often than they stay the same, make sure that you stay abreast of any new developments with issues you’re concerned about.

Keep any major talking points in mind.

Continue to research the various aspects of your cause and examine it from a financial, social, and environmental angle.

Depending on how concerned or supportive you are, you can set alerts on your search engines to inform you when there are updates regarding the cause.

The more aware you are of the subject matter, regardless of what side you are on, the more confident you can be in your position.  

Your knowledge level exemplifies that you are not swayed by the crowd.

This means that you are not simply joining the bandwagon and can stand up for what you believe in.

2. Be empathetic

In our most passionate appeals, we lean heavily on how we feel.

To be the most effective in conveying your message, you must always consider how the other person or the other side relates and where they get their logic from.

What makes them feel that way?

To be effective, you must appeal to their biggest concerns on their side of the issue.

To ignore their argument is to weaken your own.

As positive as you may be in our assertions, they are, too, in theirs.

Even in the most contentious debates, if both sides dig in long enough, you will find that you can meet in the middle and find elements to agree on.

Being empathetic allows you to improve your own views by expanding your ability to see past your own life and broaden your thoughts and emotions to the circumstances of others.

To do this, you must be a listener.

Be open enough to imagine a life that you may never experience personally.

Being empathetic is a choice.

As hard as it may be, it can benefit how you stand up for what you believe in, as well as your own quality of life.

3. Be logical

Feelings don’t have logic—but you can apply logic to your feelings when you are expressing reasons for your advocacy to be taken seriously.

You can leverage statistics and research that have been done to support your ideas.

The great thing about information these days is that it is easily and quickly accessible.

You can ask Siri or Google just about anything.

You can pull statistics and facts that used to take days and weeks to research.

This method will always give your cause more power.

There is truly strength in numbers.

You can track trends in support or opposition and what may have caused it to shift.

These tidbits of information can be leveraged to help you stand up for what you believe in.

Showing how the support in your ideas can increase betterment and quality of life with numbers makes it that much more powerful.

Find proof and use it.

Understand it.

Be firm in your truth and feel confident.

4. Write about it

Don’t just talk about it; write about it.

Write to organizations that can positively affect outcomes.

When dealing with a legislative issue, write to your local representatives.

If it’s educational, write to the superintendent or chancellor.

If it affects your city, write to your mayor and city councilmen.

Send info to publications that cover the subject matter.

Contact website editors who deal with your issue.

Start a blog.

Connect your passion to your advocacy.

That is everlasting.

You can be the change agent that many have been too afraid to be themselves.

Getting your writings out of your head and onto a platform gives you an opportunity to review your thoughts.

To fine-tune your methods and reasons for why you want to support your cause.

It will also leave a record for your future advocates to see how far you have come.

This also allows you to be a thought leader.  

Even when several people have the same stand on an issue, many times, it can be for different reasons.

This allows for different positions to be brought forward for consideration.

You never know when your courageous actions can be put into words that have not yet been spoken.

Your writings can be the spark that starts a movement or at least lets another person know they are not alone in their mindset.

Writing connects us.

It connects us to our past and to each other.

It’s a more tangible way to stand up for what you believe in.

5. Get involved

If your issue or cause is very important to you, I would suggest that you join groups or agencies that support and contribute to the cause.

Although each human experience is unique, joining a group that supports certain issues is not.

Seeking out and getting involved with organizations will connect you to like-minded individuals.

It will also give you even more of an outlet for your writing, empathetic words, and the spread of researched information.

Everyone brings a unique perspective to an organization.

Joining a group that supports your cause can only strengthen and further the progress.

There really is strength in numbers.

If you find you cannot identify a group or organization, start one.

Be the spark that ignites the fire that brings change.

Will you stand up for what you believe in?

I hope you found these tips useful in some ways.

Learning to stand up for what you believe in is not always easy.

But by being concrete in your words and actions, you strengthen your belief and develop more confidence in yourself.

Share your key takeaway in the comments, and share this article with your friends who are motivated to stand up for their beliefs.