I don’t know if you guys have noticed but over the last few weeks I have been slowly editing older posts to make them SEO friendly and just to kind of make them go with the whole vibe of my blog. As I mentioned in my first blogging journey post when I first started this blog I had a completely different idea for what it was going to be and over time it has evolved into something completely different. Of course, I am eternally grateful for what it has become now and I wanted to edit my older posts so that they go better with the new layout of my blog. As I mentioned in an earlier post my blog looked VERY different a few years and even just a few months back.
Anyway, before I digress too much, I was going through a lot of older posts and I realised I had a lot of drafts that I wrote but never published. I believe some were never published because they were quite personal and I wrote them just to write them not really with the intention of ever publishing them. Some I had written half way and then stopped for some reason. I probably just didn’t have time to finish them. And some I had written and kept ready to publish but I just forgot to publish them.
This got me thinking about all the things that we mean to say but for some reason or the other we did not. Maybe it was a text that we had meant to send but then thought about it and decided not to send it or to send a very edited version of it. Maybe we were going to confront someone but decided to not to in the end and just ended up being the bigger person and letting it go. Maybe it was an email we were going to send for a job opportunity or something like that which we ended up not sending because we did not think we were good enough for it. Either way there is so much we don’t say. If you really think about it there is probably more that we don’t say than things we say. There are so many things we want to tell people. It could be someone in your family, a close friends, some you were friends with but have lost touch with, someone you were acquaintances with or merely even a stranger who stole your parking spot perhaps.
I also started thinking about all the reasons we don’t say stuff and how that effects us. Yes, some of it is probably us being the bigger person and just knowing when something is worth speaking up about and when something is better off let unsaid. But some of it is also how we are conditioned by society to act in a certain way. In a lot of ways we cringe away from letting our true thoughts and feelings out because we’re taught that it’s not proper to be emotional or that emotions are a weakness. So many problems end up stemming from us being so repressed because even if you bottle up all your feelings at some point your bottle is going to overflow and those feelings are going to come pouring out. And when they do come out you won’t know how to deal with them because you never really dealt with them before- you just repressed them.
All of this just makes me wonder how different my life and everyone’s life would have been had we said what we were thinking. What if we had confronted our childhood bullies? What if we had stood up to people in our lives? What if we had confronted the toxic people in our life and called them out for their behaviour? What if we had taken the chance and asked the person we liked out? What if we said something to the person who took your parking spot (I don’t know why that example is stuck in my head I don’t even drive…)? What if we had applied to our dream jobs even though we were under qualified for it?
Could you imagine how different your life would be right now if you had made different decisions and spoke up instead of staying silent during any event in your life where you chose not to say something? And it works both ways too. Like imagine how different your life would have been had you stayed silent instead of said something when you shouldn’t have? I know I have personally said a lot of stupid things I shouldn’t have and still occasionally (read frequently) tend to do so.
I just keep thinking about all the things I never said to people. Some I wish I had said, some I still really want to say but I know I never will and some I am so thankful that for once I kept my giant mouth shut. There are so many messages I have written down and then deleted and there are so many things I have kept to myself when inside I wanted to yell it at someone while scratching them in the face (I have a bit of a temper…). I have always been a very passive person and I hate anything confrontation. It gives me anxiety and freaks me out. I’m also horrible at confronting people because I never find the right words to say and I always end up saying something stupid instead and then I regret it for the next decade or two.
I want that to change though. I want to call people out more, be louder and just make my voice heard. I know that sometimes staying silent is the right thing to do and I will remain silent when it’s the best thing to do but I also don’t want to someday be like 40 and regret not saying something to someone that I really wanted to say. I guess what I’m trying to say is that I want to be more vocal about my thoughts and feelings.
I know this was kind of a random and weird post but it’s just something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately especially over the last few days. I just wanted to share my thoughts with you guys because you guys always have something interesting to say about stuff like this and I always appreciate your input. If anyone knows any tips for how to be more vocal and assertive please let me know in the comments. I would really appreciate it.
Thoughts
Have you ever thought about this or something similar? Is there anything you wish you had said? Is there anything you wish you hadn’t said? Are you more of an aggressive or passive person?
Side Note
Talking about being vocal reminded me that one of my favourite bloggers, Tiani, recently made a post and a YouTube video about her experiences with racism and microagressions and I think she did such a great job sharing her experiences. I just had to share it with you guys. As I said I want to use my voice more and I was really inspired seeing her use her voice. I’m sure this was difficult for her to share because it is not an easy topic to talk about especially as a WOC but like I said she expressed her self so well. You can check out her blog by clicking here. You can check out her video by clicking here. I would highly recommend checking out both. She shared these links on her post and I thought I would share them on mine too:
8 Petitions to Help the BLM Movement
30 BLM Petitions You Should Sign
Where to Donate
For similar posts click here.
If you enjoyed this post don’t forget to like, follow, share and comment!
Enjoyed this post? Then follow me on social media:
Twitter Instagram Pinterest LinkedIn HubPages
Email me on(guest posts welcome!): insomniacwithanaccent@gmail.com
Hi Pooja, interesting post and obviously there’s nothing we can do about past things we should/could have said but didn’t. But going forward, I think more people are open about how they feel and some tell it like it is 🙂
Me, I always have to say what’s on my mind, particularly if I think someone’s made me angry or if I think I’ve upset someone. I’ll always be the first to say “I felt really angry/upset/sad when you said/did that the other day.” Sometimes people don’t even realise they’ve offended us, so opening up like this gives them a way to either apologise or perhaps say “I didn’t intend to upset you.” When you say something like “I felt……” it’s difficult for people to argue with your feelings. It’s better than saying “you really p’d me off” or “You made me….” Cos they’ll only go on the defensive.
And I’m the first to ask someone if I’ve upset or offended them.
Thank you! You’re right some people don’t even know what they said/did hurt your feelings so pointing it out is a good idea as they can better understand how you feel. I also agree about not coming off as aggressive but saying I felt so people can’t really argue about it too much or get defensive.
This just made me cry! So much I wish I had said to my best friend before she passed away. Lesson…… never hold back!
Wow I am so sorry she passed away. Yes you never know what will happen tomorrow so just say what you want to because otherwise you’ll always regret it.
Exactly💗💗💗💗
This an amazing piece of writing ..totally relatable..like you said..even now..I still have words I wished to have said..some I wished I never said ..and some I acted like I bigger person and just let them go..this is great PoojaG
I’m glad I was able to read it ..lemme share it its awesome😇😇👏🏼👏🏼
Thank you so much and I’m glad you could relate!
I really liked this post. I’ve been struggling a lot lately with how to speak up and be authentic without being aggressive or disrespectful, and without damaging relationships. Good to know someone else is thinking abou it, too! During the pandemic I’ve found that I have to be more honest just because I can’t carry the weight of concealment.
Thank you. I am also happy to see that a lot of people could relate to this post and I am not alone in feeling this way. I have had to be a bit more blunt due to the pandemic too.
And… I pressed reply too quickly. Please forgive any typos that may have resulted. 🙂
There weren’t any typos don’t worry!
I can relate to your post Pooja. There is so much which is unsaid.. some in my drafts and some in my mind..
This post gave me courage to post what I feel like and not restricting myself.. thanks 😊
Thank you and I am so glad this post inspired you to not restrict yourself!
Wow! This was VERY eye opening. Definitely gave me something to think about👍
Thank you so much!!