Courage To Speak Out

Isn’t it crazy how sometimes our minds run wild but yet we just can’t get the words out… The things we want to say just don’t come out… Is it courage we need? Why is it we are so scared to say what we are thinking? Are we scared that if we say what we are thinking we will be judged for what we say? Why don’t the words come out?

To have courage you have to believe in yourself and you have to not care about what people think about you. 

“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.”  - Nelson Mandela 

Recently I was in a situation where I had to chat to someone about something really personal. Before I chatted to the person I planned out exactly what I was going to say and exactly what I would respond if I was asked questions about the situation. I had planned it perfectly. Well… I thought I did. 

The time came where I had to sit down with the person; I suddenly lost all my words. I knew what I wanted to say, but my words wouldn’t come out. Being so nervous about what the person would think of me made me terrified. I was scared that if I told the person what I was thinking I would be judged about what I wanted to say; even though they would probably understand what I was saying and wouldn’t judge me, but it still scared me enough to make me chicken out of saying what I wanted to. 

I know for a fact that the person I was chatting to isn’t a judgmental person at all and that what I say would stay between us, but I still couldn’t get my words out. 

I felt pathetic when we stopped chatting because the whole point of me talking to them was to say what I was thinking and I didn’t say it because I was scared. As soon as we were done chatting I felt more confident and wanted to say what I probably should’ve. 

If just believed in myself, overcame the fear I felt, and didn’t care about what the person would think about me then I wouldn’t regret not saying what I wanted to. The next time I have to tell someone about something personal I am going to challenge myself and try not to let what I think the person might think about me change my mind. 

You never know how someone will react to what you tell them. You could guess, but people will surprise you. We all care about what other people think of us. If someone reacts badly to something you say about yourself then just pretend to care, but don’t care. Don’t let what other people say to you, or about you, change how you see yourself. Be courageous and conquer the fear you feel.