After I finished up my bastard post, I was sitting on the couch thinking about all the people that I’m a fan of these days. As I cycled through a list of friends, relatives, bloggers, and those masochists who always, always, always take part in FineTune Friday, I thought, “What good does this admiration do for anyone locked up in my head? Who cares if I like someone’s site or admire their actions if I never actually tell anyone about it?”

And I thought, “It doesn’t matter at all.”

And then the slogan that has been guiding me along since I quit my job popped into my head:

“It’s not what you think, it’s what you do that matters.”

Aside from the sporting goods company, the word champion has been lost in our modern age. The modern human is passive. We sit, watch, and think, instead of promote, interact, and support. We’re a generation of fans and most of us have no idea what it is to be champions. If it’s indeed true that only what you do matters, then wouldn’t it be better for everyone if we stopped thinking like fans and started acting like champions?

Being a champion isn’t about winning a contest or being at the top of the pile. It’s about promoting someone for no reason other than you think that they deserve it. I’m a firm believer that to become the kind of person that you want to be, you have to be willing to start with small steps in the right direction. This week, I spent portions of my time looking for simple ways to champion some of the people that I’m a fan of. It felt pretty good, so I’m going to suggest a simple way for you all to get in on it.

Take a minute to champion someone deserving by linking to them in the comments of this post. Then, briefly explain why you gave them the nod. If the person that you champion doesn’t have a website, don’t let that stop you from including them. It’s a small step to becoming something more by turning your idle thoughts into something that matters.

Don’t be a fan. Be a champion.

Posted in Philosophical BS