There are many reasons you might be afraid to say what you think or express how you feel. Perhaps you’re confused about what your truth truly is. Maybe you won’t speak up because you don’t want to upset anyone, cause a scene, or be a bother.
Before you can be honest with others, you have to be honest with yourself about what you really want and need.
TRUTH: Having a voice and speaking up for yourself may not change the world around you, at least not at first. The first thing it will do is change you. It will help you find the strength you’ve always had, but didn’t know you had.
It’s likely that you’re familiar with the #MeToo Movement. It has led more and more women to step forward and acknowledge that they’ve been sexually harassed or assaulted and to name the men, often powerful men, who are responsible.
Today, this powerful movement seems inevitable, and it seems unstoppable. The difference it has made and continues to make is hard to measure …“huge” might be an understatement. It is quite literally reshaping the landscape of our culture. And how did it begin? As with so many major shifts, the #MeToo Movement began with people who were willing to tell their truth. Women mostly, but also men –– including people from different races and ethnic groups, particularly those who are traditionally devalued and marginalized by our culture –– are giving up their silence and being willing to talk about their experiences.
Did you know that The #MeToo Movement was actually started by a woman, Tarana Burke, in 2006? And then “suddenly,” 10 or 11 years later, it became a “thing.” One woman who courageously started speaking out more than 10 years ago is still positively impacting and changing our culture today.
As you start to tell YOUR truth, you invite others to tell theirs. To begin with, you may have/had to face shame and judgement of others, just as many who have gone before you. But look around. You’ll start to see that truth is becoming the new “hot thing.”
Accepting the vulnerability and risk of using your voice gives you freedom to live YOUR life.
Is there someone in your life who you can practice telling the truth faster with? If not, how about getting a “truth” journal and practice by at least acknowledging and then pouring your heart out on the page. Truth is a practice.
Through my own work and transformation over the years, I came to know my truth. I had no idea how many lies I was telling MYSELF. In my first marriage, I really didn’t want to acknowledge how little I felt or all the ways I kept myself small. Let’s be real, I didn’t think I deserved any better, so that was completely on me. Truth can be uncomfortable, because it often changes us and our view of life. Once you see the truth, you can’t un-see it. Thank goodness.
