Words That Affect You
Words That Affect You
WRITING PROMPT - Has someone ever told you some thing about YOU that you never forgotten?
Who was it?
How important are they in your life?
What did they say?
How did you feel about it?
Did it inspire you or discourage you?
BONUS CHALLENGE - What can you say to inspire others and make their day?.
I grew up in an amazingly large family. With over 100 first cousins, it’s so easy to get lost in the crowd. Additionally, it can be very difficult to have your voice heard when there’s so many other people trying to be heard at the same time.
I had a teacher who gave awards to her students at the end of the school year. She handed me an award for persistence. I didn’t know what that word meant, and she explained that I just kept going until I was acknowledged.
When she told me the meaning of this word, I was honestly more than a little upset by what I saw as another person in my life telling me that my voice didn’t matter.
As an adult, I know that, even though I was probably annoying with my persistence, the teacher never meant to hurt my feelings. But hurt them she did! And I responded by retreating back into myself once more. My confidence was shaken, and I started questioning every word that came out of my mouth before I would even speak. And nobody noticed…
I spent an entire summer quiet and withdrawn. I avoided time with my best friend because the teacher in question was her sister, and I didn’t want to annoy her anymore than I already had. I was trying to be respectful of the people around me
I do know that I am very persistent. However, it’s mostly because I was so lost in the crowd, my voice wasn’t being heard, and I knew that the only way to know that I was being heard was to actually be acknowledged. So I talked until I was acknowledged. I do understand that is annoying, but it’s also annoying to be ignored.
As a result of this teacher pointing out my persistence, I have decided that in a room full of people, my voice needs to be loud, my presence needs to be felt, and i definitely deserve to be acknowledged when i speak. I would never have thought to make myself visible if it weren’t for this teacher pointing it out to me.
I spent many years, making sure that people knew I was in the room. I have decided that I AM important, I DO matter, and my voice WILL be heard. So, if I annoy anyone with my persistence, do not expect an apology from me, but ask yourself why my persistence is annoying you so much.
A Life Coach once told me that what other people think of me is not my business. It’s their opinion and it’s based on their views and their reality.
Everybody has their own views of the same situation. Their views reflect their reality. But it should not reflect how I see myself.
I started writing inspirational posts on Facebook in 2016 because I wanted to encourage other people to shut out the noise the world screams at them and to know that they are worth the effort. Although I almost quit posting a few times, I have been posting on social media ever since because I have been told that people look forward to reading what I have to say.
For the first time in a very long time, I have found my voice while helping others to see that they matter and their voice deserves to be heard, too!
I want to thank the teacher for pointing out flaws that I didn’t realize I had. I appreciate her honesty, because she gave me the opportunity to work on being less annoying with my persistence. And I have been working on myself for quite some time now.
With that being said, please understand that if me using my voice annoys you, then I suggest you grab some earplugs because it’s not gonna stop me from speaking my truth. I found my voice, and I’m not losing it again!
