Learning to speak my truth, expressing what’s on my mind and in my heart, has been an amazing, scary and thrilling undertaking. Speaking from that place can be incredibly vulnerable and in the past this is where I have stumbled, in not allowing that space of vulnerability. Instead choosing to silence myself.
Over the past while, as I’ve gradually laid down the burdens of perfectionism and people-pleasing, and taken off the masks which have stifled my authentic self, I’ve realized that my voice and my truth are part of what makes me unique and as such are part of what I am here to contribute to the world.
Speaking my truth without stepping on the truths of others, where I maintain a place of authenticity and neutrality, being unattached to any particular outcome, is a skill. To stand my ground and say “This is my truth and my voice. This is what I see, feel, think, experience. You may or may not agree with it and either way that’s okay.” I don’t feel it’s a skill we are taught in our regular lives, and learning this skill, as with any new endeavor, has been at times incredibly uncomfortable. I have stumbled. I have stuck my foot in my mouth on at least one occasion, I have unintentionally hurt people and I have made a fool of myself. But that’s part of the dance. An important part even when it’s not really that fun. And when I fuck up I own up. When I stumble… I make it part of the dance. And I am fortunate in that I have around me a tribe of people who are there to catch me when I fall on my face.
I have found as I become more and more committed to living authentically that where once it was painful and scary to speak up, now it is painful to stay silent. When something moves me, when I experience something that I don’t perceive as okay, when I am living joyfully… so many experiences now seem to well up within me and I know I need to speak them or suffer.
To speak my truth is to own my power. It is the price I must pay for experience on this planet, in this body. And it is a price I gladly pay.
So even when I have a bad day or the words don’t flow so easily. Even when someone unfriends me, in real life or in cyber land. I am here to say that I am here to stay. To speak. To express and create and hopefully to inspire others to do the same. Because I believe when we walk our paths in life we do it not only for ourselves, but for everyone else.
And yes sometimes it’s still scary and still feels incredibly vulnerable, but it is worth it. Because at the end of the day, as I begin to master my truth and speaking it, there is a freedom to it and a joy that must be experienced to be understood.
I hope I have inspired you to step up and speak your truth. To brave the discomfort and join me in the dance, and to share your gift on the world. Because you are worth it and we need your truth.
Elizabeth Holt Handlovsky
Latest posts by Elizabeth Holt Handlovsky (see all)
- Getting Off the Emotional Rollercoaster: Time to Feel the Feels and Then Let It Go - July 28, 2015
- To My Former Friend - July 7, 2015
- Honouring the Gift of Sensitivity - June 30, 2015
