Have you ever had something weighing on your chest that you really needed to tell someone? Were you afraid to do it for some reason, whether that be fear of mockery, shyness, or you just weren’t sure how that person would react? One of the things I find most difficult about being in college is that it feels like a lot of daily interactions are just an act. People are trying so hard to fit in that they will risk not being their true selves in order to please other people. Well, I want to urge you today to be exactly who you are without regret and to say everything you’ve wanted to say with honesty.
It’s not difficult once you get over that hump of “What will they think of me?” in order to be transparent. In my opinion, I respect people much more when they are being goofy, nerdy, silly, shy, etc. if they are showing me who they really are. The world is deprived of many amazing people because they are all trying to be “cool” to gain the approval of another person. What good does that do? We lose out on finding incredible friends because of this.
Why am I going on a rant about this? Well, recently I had something to tell someone that has been on my mind for months. It took a lot of courage to say what I wanted to, and I debated on whether I should do it at all for weeks. What will this person’s reaction be? Will they still think of me the same way? Will they agree or disagree? It made my stomach turn in knots.
But then it hit me: if I don’t tell this person this and be completely honest with them, not only will I regret it, but I won’t be sharing my true self with this person. Would I rather regret not saying it for the rest of the year, or could I risk just a small amount of embarrassment if the outcome wasn’t exactly what I hoped or anticipated?
You cannot go wrong with honesty. And in a world where so many people are pretending and lying in order to appear more interesting or approachable, it’s a breath of fresh air when someone is true to themselves with me. I respect it so much more when someone is able to say, “Hey, here I am and I don’t regret being transparent with you”. So next time you have something to say, I encourage you to say it. You never know what the outcome will be — and that makes life interesting.
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