“My silences had not protected me. Your silence will not protect you.” — Audre Lorde
A lot of people will not stand up because they don’t want to make waves. Sure, there is the chance it might feel like rough seas for a while. But if you don’t make waves about something you care about outside yourself, they’ll be made inside yourself.
That is the trade-off.
I got tired of not saying what I needed to say, so I started to say it. Early thirties. At work. Crazy situations.
Definitely faced retribution. I felt like I was in a movie. First a bad review. I refused to sign it because I’d gotten excellent the two times before and my work ethic had not changed. “You sign it,” I said. Then they put me on the lay-off list.
Think about it. All of this happened to me because I said something in the work place to someone who was supposed to want to hear these things. Only they didn’t and divulged what I said. Job titles can be deceiving.
Did I find another job?
Yes, right away.
Was it worth it? Absolutely.
After that I spoke up at new positions. I ended up feeling pressured to leave. I wanted to change careers anyway. Gave me the push I needed.
Was it still worth it?
Absolutely.
There’s something about being in integrity with myself that keeps me buoyant. And for quite awhile I’ve worked for myself so I don’t have to worry about retribution for speaking up at work. I simply talk to myself. A lot of the people who take my programs locally told me they do so because I speak up. I’ve even created programs around speaking up. I can speak from experience about speaking up.
My marketing is simple: Be myself and let my market find me.
People who like people who muffle themselves will not gravitate toward me. Self-deselection. And vice versa.
Now, it is a lot easier, of course, because I’ve spoken up many, many times. People try to throw apples in my mouth, but I spit them out.
Imagine a world where everyone was terrified to speak up? Then imagine a world where people feel comfortable speaking up. The only way to create that is to speak up more, even if you are the first one to speak up, which can seem daunting. Another good choice is to stand up with the person who is speaking up for something you’d like to also speak up for. They will enjoy the support.
Perhaps, you have spoken up — Congrats. Perhaps, you’d like to speak up, soon to be congrats. Watch one of my favorite movies, Erin Brockovich. It may act as a catalyst.
Here’s to feeling more alive!
Giulietta