I used to think that I didn’t have an opinion. I would just go with the flow and accept other people’s thoughts, ideas and beliefs. Mistakenly thinking that since I didn’t have any of my own, I should just adopt what other people said and believed.
I then started to get nagging sensations in my stomach. It didn’t feel quite right. Their opinions no longer sat as easy as they used to. Why? I couldn’t understand where this sense of unease and discomfort was coming from.
Until I realised. The voice within me was trying to speak up. I had silenced it. I had stopped trusting myself. I stopped thinking I was unique and an individual. I had wanted to fit in so much that I stifled that part of myself – the part that thought and acted completely differently to everyone else. It was THAT part of me that had the opinions. It was THAT part of me that had strong beliefs and values.
In trying to be part of the crowd, I lost my sense of self.
But now that I was slowly learning to trust myself again, I realised that I had to start standing up for what I believed in. Instead of blindly following what others said and did.
Do you resonate with this? Have you ever found yourself following what other’s have said? You aren’t alone.
It can feel scary and isolating when you have different beliefs and values from the people around you. It is human nature to want to fit in and be part of the pack.
Furthermore, when there are really loud and outspoken personalities around us, who feel so confident in their own beliefs, we are scared for our own beliefs to be tested.
How can I defend what I believe when they believe the complete opposite so strongly?
By trusting yourself and knowing that you don’t have to justify why you believe what you do. Trust that you know what is right for yourself. Acknowledge that it won’t be right for everyone, but that doesn’t matter. Love yourself enough so that you don’t have to worry about whether others will love you or not.
Standing up for what you believe in makes us vulnerable. It puts us in a position where we are declaring to the world “hey, this is me.” We are exposed. But each time you stand up for what you believe in, each time you give voice to that inner knowing inside, your confidence will grow. Your self-esteem will bloom. Your trust and resilience will give you the strongest suit of armor you’ll ever need.
Furthermore, when you stand up for what you believe in, you give others permission to do the same. Your actions demonstrate to them that it is OK to do what you feel is right. It is OK to follow your inner knowing. It is OK to trust yourself.
So it’s time to claim your power, it’s time to stand up and be heard.
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