Recently in a class of mine, I was tasked with coming up with my own personal "manifesto." The professor challenged us to come up with a concrete statement of what we believe about art in particular, due to this being an assignment for a literature class. However, this assignment got me thinking about what I believe outside the realm of literature and fine arts. What do I believe about myself, about people, and the ways in which we should live?

A pretty broad question to throw on my own plate, huh?

At first it was daunting to think about intentionally devising a concrete list of the things for which I stand. There are so many things that I believe about how I should live that, at first, I almost didn't want to take the time to acknowledge them and put them on paper for fear of the amount of time it would consume. But then I realized that due to the vast amount things I THOUGHT I stood for, I had no idea which ones were truly my concrete beliefs, the things I would contend and maintain to be true until I'm blue in the face, the hills on which I would most certainly die. And I realized that I MUST acknowledge what these things are. I have a responsibility as an impassioned individual to be so in tune with my beliefs that I am, at any given moment, prepared to give an answer for the things that are intrinsic to who I am. So I sat down and I thought of the experiences I've had over my eighteen years and what those have caused me to believe about people and how we should live, and I came up with my list. Here's what I believe:

I believe that belief is essential to being. Every human being must believe in something, because without belief, one has nothing to pursue, nothing for which to live.

I believe in words and their power to create change.

I believe words can be used to create positive shifts and to rally the masses for good. But I also believe in words as weapons.

I believe that in the same vein of rallying the masses for positive change, they can rally them for destruction when used improperly.

I believe words can pierce like daggers and I believe that sometimes our words stay with people longer than we do.

I believe in change as a constant and I believe that it is inevitable, but that mostly, it is good.

I believe that without change, experiencing growth is impossible.

I believe in doing the things that scare you, even if for no reason other than that they scare you. You will grow and you will learn from these experiences and that alone should be a compelling enough motivating force to bring you on your feet to action. I do not believe that greatness will seek you out.

I believe that we must pursue greatness.

I believe we already have greatness inside us and that it is simply waiting for us to tap into it.

I believe in taking risks, but only when the calculated reward outweighs the calculated risk.

I believe in letting life surprise you. When life surprises you, you should always just go with it.

I believe that out of the unexpected and the unplanned come some of the most beautiful and life-changing moments this life has to offer.

I believe in getting up early to watch the sun rise, but I also believe in sleeping till noon on some days and not changing out of your pajamas.

I believe in rest.

I believe in doing what you need for your body when you need it, not what society says you need and when they say you need it.

I believe in leaving people better than you found them. Always. Without exception. Every interaction you have, you should always strive to leave the other party better and more enriched for your having been there. Whether this is a thirty second exchange with the person who bags your groceries, or a relationship into which you pour your entire heart and soul, when you leave, the other person should undoubtedly be better because they have encountered you in some capacity.

I believe in not throwing in the towel too early.

I believe in fighting tooth and nail for what you love and pursue until you think you have absolutely nothing left to give. And then

I believe you find it somewhere inside you to give just a little more.

I believe in listening.

I believe in letting people know they are heard. Not everything is an argument. Sometimes people just want someone to hear them.

I believe in being loyal. If you stand for nothing you will fall for anything.

I believe in pursuing passions as though you are invincible, yet still recognizing the frailty and ephemeral nature of human life and not taking it for granted.

I believe in having a plan, but understanding that life won’t always go according to plan.

I believe in choosing to live in the moment

I believe in something greater than myself.

I believe that I am not the center of the universe and that it is my responsibility to take my passions, my concerns, and my motivations, outside of just myself and see how they can benefit the world around me. But most importantly,

I believe in faith, hope, and love. But I believe that the greatest of these is love, because I believe that love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things.

I believe that love should be used as a verb more than it is used as a noun.

I believe that people need to feel loved and have an even greater need to love in return.

I believe in crossing oceans and climbing mountains for people.

I believe in loving without conditions or worries about what you'll get back.

I believe in loving boldly.

I believe in loving well.

In a society where everyone is afraid of speaking out for fear of being opposed, knowing what we believe is of the utmost importance. Standing for nothing means falling for anything. Conversations that really have the power to create change and benefit in a society, stem from the voices that find the courage to allow themselves to be heard despite the fear of facing opposition. As a society, we simply can no longer afford to make our decisions out of fear and allow these fears to silence us. What do you stand for? You've heard what I believe. Now what about you?