It was an interesting showdown. When the conservative old J.C. Penney Company, INC. Announced that Ellen Degeneres would be their new spokes person, thousands of people threatened to boycott the store. After all, they said, Ellen is gay—and a gay person shouldn’t be allowed to represent such an iconic American company. Surely, JCPenny would submit to the pressure instead, company CEO Ron Johnson spoke up with this statement: “We stand squarely behind Ellen as our spokesperson. JCPenney was founded 110 years ago on the golden rule, which is about treating people just like you would like to be treated yourself, and we think Ellen represents the values of our company.” In thanking JCPenney and others who rallied to support her, Degeneres decided to define her own values: “I want to be clear…I stand for honesty, equality, kindness, compassion, treating people the way you want to be treated, and helping people in need.” End of controversy. You count. You make a difference. Silence is an opinion. Stand up and speak up for something or someone everyday. Martin Luther said, “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” Journalist Mary Waldrip put it this way: “It’s important for people to know what you stand for. It’s equally important for them to know what you wont stand for.” Now’s your chance.

Establish:

Things you stand for…

Things you won’t stand for…