Stand firmly on your principles
You will often be tested upon what you say and you must either stand on it or cede your point. If you cede your point, your point will be regarded as weak and unworthy. In modern society, however, we are often taught not to stand on principle, but rather to compromise and to try to come to a sort of consensus that is tolerable to everyone, but something that may not necessarily be the right thing to do. With this rule by mob mentality, nothing of significance will truly be accomplished. How can you be distinctive, or in other words, set apart from the crowd, and yet you are doing everything they are doing. Have you ever heard of a great novel written by committee?
Write your story and stand behind the penstrokes
As a man, you must come to a point and realize that you have to be the primary author of your story and to push away those who would write your story for you. You must trust in the brain God has given you and the heart he has bestowed upon you, and compare your decisions against righteous principles. When this decision has been made and solidified, you must stand behind it and see it unto fruition.
There are several times in your life where you must simply have the fortitude to act without the backing of others. You can make a bold move based upon your analyses or you can merely give in to the chants of the crowd and go against your principle. On one hand, you will have pacified the crowd and gained yourself a moment’s respite, but on the other hand, you would have condemned yourself to mediocrity. The very same crowd that hated you when you made your initial decision may very well be the same crowd that loves you after they see the success of your decision. How many great men were hated in their own time? But truly, what does the opinion of the crowd matter in those instances when you are able to see the proper way, a way which Is contrary to what the crowd thinks. Will you be as a lemming, plummeting off of the cliff because you see your brethren doing the same? A true principle of righteous manhood is the ability to be able to stand on your word, even if it is contrary to the crowd.