I MUST SPEAK MY MIND

I speak now after decades of bottling up my thoughts and words...

#speakout #introversion #bottledup #frustrated #shoutforjoy #EXTRAS #movingday #FREE

I was honored to have lunch with a former co-worker and fan of the blog this week. It was great to catch up and talk about old times, retirement plans, and blog ideas. Blog feedback is ALWAYS welcome.

Some of the tabletop discussion focused around how I could be so open and vulnerable in my blog? And was I concerned I would run out of material for the blog?

I've thought about these questions over the past few days. How can I be so vulnerable? Well, as the pictures above comically, yet poignantly, note, I felt in my past that I was bottled up. That I was not free to share my true thoughts or feelings. This was most prominent at work. I should be clear, it wasn't really due to an overly repressive company, organization, or boss, though on occasion that did have something to do with it.

My restraint 🤐 really centered around my poor self-esteem which derived from my shyness, introversion, rough social skills, and therefore my fear of putting myself out there...of saying something wrong! Some managers (you know who you are 🤩 ) created more relaxing and supportive dynamics than others (you know who you are too!😵).

But I think I needed to go through the journey I am on to gain comfort and confidence in speaking out📣 . To be sure, I haven't crossed the finish line 🥇 on this, but just being aware of the situation and some of the bottlenecks I've faced, is helping me to move forward.

And now that I'm on this journey and have retired from any of the pressures of corporate life, I am discovering a lot of thoughts I must get out. Some are quite personal and revealing, but that's really the whole point. I hope such a path and my sharing will also help others that may be struggling with their own thoughts and voice to skip some of the torment I've withstood.

So am I concerned I will run out of material for my blog? Unequivocally, no! I have decades of material.

Over lunch my friend shared some positive, uplifting feedback. I am always thrilled that my stories and struggles can be inspirational or light a path. He also shared some ideas for blogs...topics he is interested in and curious how I've tackled them. I loved the conversation. I hope to hear from each of you.

Ironically, us introverts tend to shy away from sharing our deep thoughts, especially if others may discover the introversion which has a grip on us. I certainly understand that feeling. I've lived with that restraint, that embarrassment, for way too long! I respect that many may not want to acknowledge their introversion to themselves much less to co-workers or even family. I "faked it til I made it" for a long time. Perhaps others saw through my facade though more have seemed surprised with my public revelation.

Therein lies our challenge, to get to the place where we can embrace our introversion! Champion it! Shout for joy about those things which we had bottled up!

So, I'm shouting for joy!

Would you like to share your story, feedback, questions? You may do so publicly on our Facebook page or confidentially via email or Private Messenger

Sneak PEAK for Thursday's Blog

I'm excited to announce our first guest blogger this Thur