this is my little ode to people who speak their mind.
like most people, i love speaking my mind. and yes, sometimes it could get me into a tricky situation, but believe me- i sleep easy every night because at least i know that i speak my truth. i speak what i really feel. i’m honest.
i haven’t heard juicy information about anyone and passed it off to the next hungry ear swearing it to be factual. yeah, that’s just getting information twisted. that’s how rumors thrive. that’s how people’s reputations get ruined.
i haven’t constructed any crazy lies about anyone to get them back for something.
i don’t pretend to like something if i really don’t … even if my best friend in the world swears by it.
… and that last point is sort of how i know how much i can admire someone. if you stand up for your shit no matter what other people think, then more power to you. there’s nothing that annoys me more than people that go with the trend. the people that just follow when they know damn well that deep inside they disagree. just say what’s on your mind. express whatever it is that you like. even if it’s not what i like. i will respect someone more who has a different opinion than mine, and totally stands up for it than someone that just agrees with me out loud but hides what they secretly feel for the sake of being a people pleaser. the truth is, if you are the latter, eventually i will just think you are boring. i will start seeking your company less and less… because there is nothing about you that stimulates my mind. on the other hand, friends who have different opinions and speak their mind keep me coming back for more. because gaining experience and knowledge is what growing up is all about. you want to be exposed to different things, to different views, to different types of people. add to your life experiences and you’ll grow. if you’re constantly around people that agree with everything you do, you’ll always feel justified and you’ll never have the thirst to search for something more. you won’t have a desire to learn anything new. and once you meet someone that disagrees with you… you’ll feel offended… and the only thing worse than someone who doesn’t speak their mind is someone that does speak their mind but gets offended when they hear someone else doing it.
let me follow up with this: don’t dish it out if you can’t take it when someone else’s opinion doesn’t coincide with yours. if you get offended when someone shows a difference of opinion, it just shows how close-minded you are. just respect that people feel differently about differently things. i’ll be happy knowing that if you say something, you’re saying it because you believe it with all your heart. and i can’t hate on that. even if it’s different than what i think, i respect that- and i won’t think any less of you. but the moment i realize that you don’t respect that i’m speaking my own truth, you pretty much get booted from my list of awesome people.
i’ll love you if you speak your mind. and i’ll love you more if you can respect when i speak mine.
i’ve gone back and forth with people about many a mind-consuming subject. and i love those people the most. just ask by. or reg. or tinay. or jess g. or marc. or ace. love ‘em.
preach on sister!