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Being Authentic
Have you ever squelched your voice because you were afraid to say what you were thinking or feeling? I’m sure all of us have at some point and it can be a good thing when you are angry. It’s better to stay quiet than to spew words that can never be erased.
But what I want to talk about is how we sometimes censor ourselves instead of expressing who we really are. We shut ourselves down out of fear of hurting feelings or being disagreed with or a list of other reasons.
As a child I was taught to be seen and not heard. As a wife I learned to keep my mouth shut to keep the peace. And then one day I had a face reading at a place called Fairy World, a huge festival in Oregon where people dress as fairies and other mystical beings. I’d never heard of a face reading and on a whim sat down and looked at the reader. She told me a few things but the thing that hit me where it counted was, “I can see that you have spent your life keeping your mouth shut.”
She was right, and in that moment, I gained an understanding about myself. It was such a habit that I didn’t even realize I was doing it. I always encourage others to speak up for themselves, to share their truth and ask for what they need and I wasn’t doing it myself.
I started thinking about that, thinking about why but mostly thinking that I didn’t like that about myself. I didn’t like it at all!