af·fir·ma·tion [af-er-mey-shuhn] something that is affirmed; a statement or proposition that is declared to be true.

In my high school english class I was given an assignment of choosing a song and speaking its lyrics in a speech. I chose Savage Garden's song Affirmation (  ). I felt that those were great lyrics to turn into a speech. To stand up and say what you believe. When working on setting up a blog I thought long and hard about what I wanted to say. I knew subjects I wanted to touch, topics to explore and opinions to voice. Yet, the question I kept coming back to was, 'Where to start?' An Affirmation was what I came up with. To write before everyone what I felt to be true on my views of the world.

My Affirmation:

I believe our lives are the best when filled with love.
I believe our opinions shape our understanding of the world.
I believe that no matter how many small steps backward we take that the ones we take forward will always be larger.
I believe that government when effective can enrich everyone's lives.
I believe that being fair is more important than being right.
I believe that deep breaths prevent you from saying something you'll regret.
I believe that what you put out there you'll get returned ten-fold.
I believe that fighting FOR the rights of those you disagree with will keep us all free.
I believe that everyone is scared in some form when they lie.
I believe that doing whats hard and right will reward us more than doing whats easy and right.
I believe that everything around you is an opportunity to learn.
I believe in love.
I believe that I don't have all the answers but with your help I may.
I believe that you're here because theres a plan that we have yet to discover.
I believe I can be wrong at times.
I believe that those that hate you just don't know you.
I believe that those that do know you and still profess hate don't know of another method to resolve the issues that trouble them.
I believe that killing others injures us more than them.
I believe in compromise.
I believe that when we hurt ourselves we hurt those around us.
I believe that more weight should be put into respect and trust versus commitment.
I believe we lose a piece of ourselves when we make others feel less than their worth.
I believe in Karma.

What are your beliefs? Are they strong enough to be worth standing up and declaring?

~Until next time
Devin