Tuesday, June 21, 2016

Be outspoken

Here's the story. At work, I ran into some folks I quite like. I was glib and irreverent at the expense of my current project. You know… the usual. It was then I noticed a new face sitting quietly and listening. Someone who did not know that my foot rests often in my mouth and that I sometimes put it there deliberately.

Immediately, I thought: "Rats. Now they think I don't know what I'm doing and that I'm a pain. Maybe they're deciding not to like me. Will I have to work with them? Did I say anything I don't stand behind?" …and on and on chased the squirrels in my brain.

 Stop, I thought. You have become an outspoken, opinionated person… and that's alright. Speak your mind. Use humour if appropriate. Ask questions. Worry less about being liked and more about liking yourself. Do the right thing instead of worrying about what the right thing might be. Be considerate without being quiet.


It was like my own Canada Day. Independence from my own nagging voice. Not that having that voice chime in is a bad thing all the time; everyone needs to check the controls once in a while to make sure you're on course. It's just now I trust my regular voice more often. I am the mouthy broad my mother always hoped I'd never be and I'm enjoying it! (I think…)


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