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People should not need to be told that success in life will be possible only if you stand out for positive reasons. But, here goes anyway.

This weekly online column of mine is to inspire you to stand out. I always intended to help readers stand out for positive reasons. This should be obvious, but maybe some people are dense.

I’m thinking that perhaps the most dense person in the world today is Edward Snowden. He is a standout. He is now unemployed because he is standout.

Edward Snowden got fired by Booz Allen. But, bringing on unemployment is the least of Edward Snowden’s self-inflicted problems. He created a huge public relations problem for his former employer–the kind of PR problem that jeopardizes a federal contractor’s reputation and the company’s ability to keep using taxpayer dollars to build a billion-dollar business in providing contractor services to the United States government.

I have seen young many people over the last 20 years or so using the Internet in very unwise and self-destructive ways, but Edward Snowden certainly deserves the Darwin award for what he did. There are larger issues here on an international scale, of course. Maybe Booz Allen has very low standards in hiring untrustworthy employees. Who knows? But, people like Edward Snowden who sign the very kind of nondisclosure agreements that Booz Allen requires of its employees should be savvy enough to know what responsibility that brings.

In short, Edward Snowden is a lesson for everyone: If you stand out for positive reasons, you can make something worthwhile of yourself in this life. If you stand out for other than positive reasons, you can destroy yourself.

Share your comments and suggestions on the subject of standing out for positive reasons. Visit my website, GoulartOnline.com to read more of my commentaries and post your responses. I look forward to hearing from you today!

See the growing list of posts in the “Stand Out” series here at Ned’s JOTW website.