I used to agonize over what I shared and how I shared it, if I was in a large group, I would think of each person who would be there and how what I had to say might affect them or possibly hurt them by them by hearing what I had to say. I was sharing my truth, my journey, and ultimately what I had to think about were the people who might be helped by what I had to say over who might be hurt. My intention was to certainly not to hurt anyone, but sometimes in our truth there are things that are new information, or perhaps a perspective that hadn’t been seen or heard before, and I eventually decided that it was more important for me to be transparent and truthful than to worry about what others may take away from my words that could be construed as shocking or hurtful to them. What I’ve learned on this path is that people hear what they want to hear, or, what they are ready to hear. When we edit ourselves to try to please everyone, we are not only short-changing ourselves, but anyone who may be listening who can be helped by our truth.

There are many times people can have selective hearing. Whether it’s because they are closed off to any kind of thinking or new information that is not in line with their own, or because they are just not ready to hear the truth and seem to edit the words we share to fit the narrative they’ve put forth in their mind. Regardless of what may be going on for someone else, what’s most important is that we don’t edit who we are and what we share. I have learned long ago to stop worrying and just speak from the heart, and there have been many times when I think that someone might have a hard time hearing what I have to say and lo and behold they seem to have not heard that part or parts I was concerned about, or heard it in a way that made it OK for them. Instead of correcting them, I trust they heard what they were supposed to in that moment, and perhaps, one day, they will be in a place to take in the rest.

Where this gets tricky is if there is a conflict. This goes back to a previous blog I wrote called, People Cast Us In Their Lives. Many times people have already made up their minds who we are to them and what our part is, even without our input, or sometimes, even our knowledge. We may walk into a situation ready to share our truth and they only hear the things that fit the narrative they have already written, they lock in that narrative, with no room for adjustments or edits. That can be difficult, but all we can do is be truthful and honest, share the facts as we see them, and let go of the rest. We can’t make someone hear what they don’t want to hear, but if we are sharing our authentic selves, and our truth, perhaps we have planted a seed, and when they are ready, they might hear the rest, or our words might resonate with them, but, we cannot count on that, nor can we control it. We just need to be honest about who we are and where we’re coming from.

The only person we have control over is us, we can’t control how people perceive and receive our words, and even with the best of intentions, those words can sometimes get twisted through the filter of someone else’s ears, and that is not our problem. We have to be true to ourselves, sensitive to not purposely cause harm with what we say, even if it is our truth, but not worry about sharing who we are and where we’ve come from because we’re concerned it may upset someone else. It’s a fine line of being responsible, but also honoring ourselves. I have learned that if I stand in my truth and share with an open heart and an open mind, most of the time, others will come join you there, those others are the ones who are meant to hear your words, and will stand by you when those words my fall on deaf ears. SLAY on.

SLAY OF THE DAY: Do you worry about sharing your true self with others and what they may think or how they may react? Why? Are there examples from your past where things have gone negatively? What happened? Should you have done something different? Or, was the result not your issue, but someone else’s who didn’t want to hear, or chose not to hear, what you had to say? Do you have fear about sharing your truth? Why? Do you see that when you don’t share your truth you are telling yourself that your truth, your feelings, your actions don’t matter? They do SLAYER. Stand tall in who you are, share your heart with others, and if someone doesn’t want to hear, or can’t hear, what you have to say, let them go, perhaps they will return when they are ready.

S – self L – love A – appreciate Y – you