Speak your truth, don’t bite your tongue

don’t bite your tongue for the benefit of others

I am not seeking approval when I speak my truth, I’m standing on what I am. my morals and values, and so should everyone.

If you ask me why I think your voice matters, I’ll give the most simplistic answer, yet it’s the most pinnacle reason, my existence. I feel, I am living, I communicate with the energy around me…why wouldn’t your voice matter? If anything, I have a harder time answering the original scenario because it is that simple to me. Your tongue holds the power to cultivate lyrics and share a story that can make a real impact. To speak from experience, being a black woman who grew up in the south and still does, it was intimidating to feel comfortable speaking as blatantly as others.

From a very young age I started to notice how carefully people watched the words flow out of my mouth as I spoke from as small details as the cadence of my voice to the tone. That attentiveness made me hyperfocus on how I appeared in certain rooms and reinforced the caution of speaking up on topics “I was meant to avoid”. But was I not given a voice to be used? If I wasn’t meant to have this access, then it wouldn’t have been the very first gift given to me since birth. Our voices were meant to communicate and speak the truth even if it can be translated as a sense of rebellion.

 Even if there are individuals that will damn near crucify you for standing on what matters the most to you, it’s best you stay true to your words because it’s a reflection of staying true to you. You will end up building a beautiful home of integrity, strength and confidence, rather than watching all the people who don’t care about you or vice versa walk into your home and destroy it brick by brick. You’ll find it more beneficial to speak your opinions rather than silencing yourself.

Silencing yourself ultimately serves you no purpose yet it can do an amazing job at placing you in a space where you no longer recognize yourself. I wouldn’t wish that feeling on my worst enemy however it taught me a very valuable lesson that I am still putting in practice. Silence causes a battle of confusion internally between what I value and how I express my values externally. 

If I say I value my community, how do I show up for them? Do I volunteer? Do I reach out and discuss issues that we are currently struggling with as a society?

If I say I value social justice rights, do I have uncomfortable conversations that are needed? Do I vote? 

Me sitting in silence when I was younger allowed me to now have grace for myself now because I am to understand how young and naive the silent mindset was, I was only doing what felt safe during those times of quietness. However, I understood that mindset caused more harm than good and saw how much power I was able to reclaim using my voice.

I had to stop biting my tongue in fear of whatever I was facing, I had to stand on what I believe in to see real change. It’s not easy but it is impactful. Our tongue is one of the most powerful tools we have full access to. We grew up seeing impactful figures change lives by the power of the tongue from activist’s Martin Luther King Jr, Malcolm X to writers such as Maya Angelou and Nina Simone, who’s to say that we won’t be one of legends one day; starting movements and speaking freely to see a world that’s filled with kindness, authenticity, compassion, and understanding. 

 However, I’m not pushing for any of us to become a New York time selling author or the President of the United States, although all those things are very possible and achievable. I want to bring awareness to some of us that may have felt lost due to being in a world of influencers that think they speak for us are not feeling important enough to be heard, when that’s just not the truth.

Most of us can connect on a human and personal level more than ever right now, we went through so much in the past few years and still are dealing with life obstacles! If it is any of us that understand the funny memes, viral inside jokes that are openly shared across the internet to the pain and suffering of what’s occurring in the world, while still going through the motions of life, it’s us! That’s why our voices should feel safe with one another because we know the exhaustion we obtain holding all these mixed feelings the most.

If I can sum up all my words within this blog in three words it would be, use your voice. Use it on your social media, use it in class, use it here on Echo2evolve, and use it because you want to. I love opening up with you guys and sharing small snippet emotions I have experienced and how I am choosing to practice my lessons moving forward!

If you have any suggestions on what you want to hear from me, please let me know and if you’re comfortable share a time that you realized you had to share your voice in the comments! See you in the next post.