"Life is short," they say. "Make the most of life while you still can," they say. In the short life we've been given to live here on earth, there are an innumerable amount of things to be afraid of: sharks, murderers, rejection and other things of that nature. Saying what you really want to, however, should not be on this list. If you don't tell people how you feel or say what you need to while you have the chance, you'll spend a good amount of time regretting it, replaying that moment when you let the opportunity to speak up pass you by. Here, you'll find six reasons to say what you need to say:
1) Communication is key. Telling somebody how you feel - whether it's confessing your feelings, expressing anger, or even just telling your best friend how much you love him or her - can be kind of a scary thing, especially if you're not a "feelings" person. Nevertheless, communicating those feelings will not only lift the burden of keeping them bottled up inside, but it could lead to great things. Just think: if Jim Halpert (from The Office) had never told Pam how he felt, they might never have gotten married and become the most perfect TV couple to ever exist.
2) You'll feel better about yourself in general. Speaking your mind takes a certain amount of courage, and proving to yourself that you're capable of doing so can do wonders for both your self-esteem and confidence level. Learning how to speak up might pave the way to a more confident you.
3). You could inspire others to follow your lead and speak their minds as well. I know that if I see someone who is brave enough to say what they're really feeling or stand up for something, I feel inspired to do the same. While we should always remember to speak our minds with respect and kindness, how much easier would the world be if we were all just honest with one another?
4) New relationships could come to fruition if you would just speak up. If you see someone new that you want to talk to, just go up and say hello. If you're interested in pursuing a better friendship with someone who's only an acquaintance, tell them that. Nobody is a mind reader and they shouldn't have to be.
5) You'll get what you want more often. This one is pretty simple. While telling people what you want or saying what you want to is not a guaranteed method of getting your way, it sure increases your chances. On the other hand, saying absolutely nothing at all is actually a guaranteed way to make yourself feel regretful and even probably prevent anyone from understanding what you truly want or mean.
6) Speaking up can change the world. And as you've probably learned, it can take as little as one voice to set a major change in motion. Especially these days, your voice has the power to affect others, and you'd be surprised how many people your voice can reach and just how many are willing to listen. While these are rather broad generalizations, hopefully the point came across here.
Yes, speaking up can be a rather nerve-wracking task. I only hope that I encouraged you even a little bit that doing so is one-hundred percent worth it. From somebody who used to be terrified of telling anyone what she really thought, I can say with absolute certainty that learning how to express myself made my life better in more ways than I originally thought possible. Try it for yourself some time, and watch your life change.
