All my life, I’ve been the type of person that doesn’t want to make waves. Go with the flow. Easy. Whatever. I even earned the nickname “Bridechilla” during my wedding.
And truth be told, this isn’t a facade. I don’t like to cause or invite drama in my life, so I try to live it as peacefully as possible.
But I’m human, and so inevitably something will bother me or hurt me and I have two choices: 1) Say something about it in an effort to prevent it from happening in the future, or 2) Let it go and keep bobbing with the flow.
More often than not I opt for the latter, and end up internalizing my feelings in order to avoid confrontation and spare another’s feelings. The trouble with this is that the pain continues to live within me until I ultimately burst.
An oath I made to myself at the end of 2019 was to take up more space in the world. I realized that internalizing was part of a greater effort to make myself smaller. But I have big goals in this life that require me to be seen, heard and known, and so it’s time to stop holding it all in.
In 2020, I’m opening up those feelings that tend to remain unopened and making my feelings and thoughts and ideas heard. I will:
- Speak up when I disagree and can provide a solution that will benefit all involved
- Let people know when they’ve hurt me, and ask that they be more mindful of it in the future
- Share my ideas even if they seem crazy, because maybe they’re not as crazy as I think it is, or can serve as a jumping off point for something better
- Stop blending into the background and make an effort to be in the foreground
It’s time to take up more space in the world, and I encourage you all to do the same.
...And What Would Bri Say? 