Speak Your Truth . . . Quietly & Clearly August 7, 2011
Posted by nrhatch in Happiness, Life Balance, Mindfulness, People.trackback
Speak Your Truth Quietly and Clearly ~ those six words from Desiderata remind me not to worry about being misinterpreted by “the few” when others appreciate my words.
When we speak our truth, quietly and clearly:
* What others take from those words is largely outside our control.
* Those who are interested listen. Others drift away.
* We don’t waste time and energy focusing on our imaginary reputations around town, or on the cyber sites we frequent.
* We avoid becoming paralyzed and unable to speak for fear of ridicule or private censure or censor.
When we speak our truth, quietly and clearly:
* We allow those we meet to take what they want and leave the rest, without chasing after them to convince them to see the world through our eyes.
* We more easily accept ourselves as we are . . . at this moment . . . while continuing to strive to be the best we can be.
When we speak our truth quietly and clearly, the need to protect our changing reputations from those of differing views diminishes in significant measure.
What is there to defend, after all?
Our glorious and fragile Egos?
Quotes to Ponder:
What you think of me is none of my business. ~ Wayne Dyer
He who trims himself to suit everyone else will soon whittle himself away.
~ Raymond Hull
Be who you are and say what you mean, because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind. ~ Dr. Seuss
You don’t need a permission slip to live your life.
Always remember that you don’t have to be what they want you to be. ~ Mohammad Ali
If you’re already walking on thin ice ~ why not dance?
No one can make you feel inferior without your consent. ~ Eleanor Roosevelt
To be nobody but yourself ~ in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else ~ means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting. ~ e.e.cummings
No rules. Just write!
Related posts: To Agree Or Disagree * Desiderata . . . Desired Things * A Study of Contrasts * The Courage to Be Free
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Spirit Lights The Way 
Great post! I particularly love “if you’re already walking on thin ice ~ why not dance?” These are all good reminders to stay centered in who we are, and allow others to be who they are, disagreements and all. Staying centered is my job for today. Again, great post.
Thanks, Cecelia. The more centered we are, the more balanced we feel. Aah . . . that’s better. 😀
Some wonderful quotes today, Nancy.
Glad you enjoyed.
Great stuff, especially the permission slip one.
That realization came to me rather late in life. Until it did, I was under the mistaken assumption that others had a vote in how I chose to live my life. 😉
This is a great post that I needed to hear after the emotional beating I took from gpfamily members who criticized my memoir. Thanks, Nancy. I’ve always loved the Eleanor Roosevelt quote. The others are great too.
“If you’re already walking on thin ice, why not dance?” Excellent.
People “bully us” because they know we are susceptible to those types of tactics. If we reply, “What you think of me is none of my business,” it oftens stops them dead in their tracks.
On with the dance!
Just be you! Wonderful quotes NH!!
Thanks, BG!
When we know WHO we are . . . we know HOW to live. Aah . . . that’s better.
Ah, words and language. I have come to learn that everything that is that was not created by the Spirit was created through language – something that I’m a bit old to learn!
Words can be both stumbling blocks to communication and building blocks for increased understanding . . . depending upon who’s listening. 😀
I only discovered “desiderata” a year ago when I found a portion inscribed on a bench where I was hiking. I came home and googled to find those wise words of Max Ehrmann, and Desiderata quickly became a fave to me. In fact Friday I looked it up and reread it…so glad you posted on this today. Thank you.
Desiderata has been my favorite poem since my teens. So many life lessons encapsulated in such a short verse. Glad you enjoyed.
Wonderful words, Nancy. And definitely words that I needed to hear today. Thank you for always speaking your truth and setting a good example.
Thanks, Lisa.
Life is full of potholes . . . when we tire of falling into the same pothole over and over again, we learn to walk around it.
Nancy, you offer so many helpful perspectives in this post…thank you. I hadn’t realized how “self”-conscious I tend to be until I started a blog (well, 2 blogs) …putting my thoughts,feelings, aspirations and ideas out into the world seems to have opened up my own “can of worms”. I’m progressing, but posts and ideas like these and others in your blog really help. thank you so much
I’m glad you’re finding my perspective of assistance.
When we speak “our truth,” others will not always agree. How could they? We experience life from different vantage points.
Even if we blog about something innocuous (i.e., the “best” flavor of ice cream), only a small percentage of the planet will agree with us. That cool! 😉
Some great quotes there Nancy, I particularly like Eleanor Rosevelt’s., because it applied to me a long time ago – till I found out who I was and took charge of my own life.
That’s one of my all time favorites, Barb. So empowering to realize that their opinion of us need not guide our actions.
You’re completely right, all that defensiveness is about ego fundamentally, Ego – seriously not worth defending – it doesn’t give you enough when times are good to make up for the pain it causes when times are bad – if it was a spouse you’d divorce it!
Love it!
I expect that most of us would divorce a spouse that groused as much as Ego . . . especially if he/she constantly clamored for attention and needled us for every “wrong move.” 😉
Great post – great blog! Thank you:-)
Thanks for swinging by, enermazing. I think I’ve seen you somewhere before . . . Mirth & Motivation, perhaps?
That’s it. Your latest comment made me S.M.I.L.E ;-), so I wanted to find out more about you 🙂
Cool! Life is better when we S.M.I.L.E.! 😀
You know – this is something I’m trying to teach my Son. It’s all about being yourself and not worrying about how others perceive you. Being calm in the world around and not trying to manipulate it in the here and now. Realising that change takes time and is best achieved by quiet words of guidance. And, of course, understanding these things gives us the time to smile about life and the world in general.
If I had absorbed Eleanor Roosevelt’s quote as a teen, I expect HS would have been smoother sailing.
Looking back, I’m rather aghast at the time I wasted worrying about what others thought of me ~ nothing more than skewed opinions from their limited vantage point.
HS – High School I assume – never worried me in that sense. Some people picked on me because I was different. I rode it out and I’m still here to tell the tale – not sure how many of them are though. Of course, it’s different for girls!!! 😉
Most of the conflict I experienced in HS occurred between my own two (pierced, NOT pointy) ears.
All too often, I let my imagination run away with me about what others must be thinking of me for some small “faux pas.” Usually, they had no idea what I was talking about if I brought the subject up.
Worry is the interest we pay on a debt we may not owe.
[…] never know what you can do…I guess that you just never know… I read a wonderful post on Spirit Lights the Way…about “speaking one’s truth, quietly and clearly” …that’s what […]
Oh my gosh I love the, If you are already walking on thin ice why not dance! That would describe my daughter.
On with the dance! 😀
Makes me think of one of my favorite movies, About A Boy.
That’s a good movie ~ I don’t know that I would like Hugh Grant much as a person, but I love him as an actor. He makes me laugh.
Love this, Nancy. In fact, the title alone is enough to contemplate all day 🙂
Desiderata is such a wealth of wisdom. Another favorite from the poem:
Go placidly amid the noise and haste and remember what peace there may be in silence.
Aah . . . that’s better. _/!\_
No one can make you feel inferior without your consent. ~ Eleanor Roosevelt
That is one of my favorite quotes. !!
Such a great reminder that “they” aren’t doing anything to us when the “label” us . . . the damage (if any) occurs in how we process their opinions.
This is great. Often when I’m writing with publication in mind, I’m thinking about the audience and what they will think of what I write. It is important, however, that all writing – even that for other people – comes from a place of deep truth within us.
I agree.
When we aim to suit our audience without sharing honest thoughts, the result is not as powerful as when we start with the truth and try to share it in a way that resonates with others.
After a certain age, we damn the consequences and get on with living… No matter what we say, there will always be someone who disagrees and that is fine.
Frankly, I have little time to surf the internet lately that I’m focused on what I can do with the spare time I have; write, comment on blogs, attempt to respond to comments on mine, and move on with the many demands at home…
If anyone is saying anything nasty out there, I haven’t noticed and I don’t care… Life must goes on. Great post! 🙂
I’m not sure it’s an automatic part of the aging process ~ I know several people in their 80’s who are afraid to speak their truth . . . afraid they’ll step on toes . . . afraid to be who they are and say what they feel.
I’m always tempted to ask: If not now . . . when? 😉