It happens all too often. I’ll be telling a story and stop mid-sentence to apologize for being too loud, or talking too much, or being too “much” (whatever that may mean). They usually brush it off and tell me that it’s okay, but it comes right back up the very next time I go to speak. I have decided that that is definitely not okay. I shouldn’t be muting myself to fit what I think are other peoples’ standards. So, I’ve taken to correcting my speech. I want to take the time to be kinder to myself, even just in my head. Here’s some of the corrections I have made.
- “I’m too loud.”
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“I am a forceful and powerful speaker.”
- “I’m not ‘girly’ enough.”
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“I am exactly who I am supposed to be. I am everything enough.”
- “I talk too much.”
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“I have valuable opinions.”
- “My thighs are too big.”
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“My body was made for me to do great things and its shape will only support that.”
- “What will they think of me?”
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“People will make their own assumptions and judgements of me, it is my duty to live my life in a way that matters to me.”
There is a quote I heard recently that really resonated with me. “She remembered who she was, and the game changed.” – Lalah Deliah. I live by this quote. Every time I start to challenge myself, I stop to remember the brilliant woman I am. I change the game.