As I am preparing for my presentation at the University of Richmond for later this afternoon on the theme “I LOVE MY BODY,” I have been freshly reminded of why so many of us don’t speak up or stand up to be a voice in the world on the things we need to be. Speaking is scary. It is the unknown. Even from someone who absolutely loves public speaking, I have anxiety and nagging voices in my head this morning telling me to be nervous, and I am properly ignoring and thus silencing them. If I don’t speak up, everything will stay the same, and I refuse to let negative body-image to continue to silently destroy the vitality of our nation.
If you can live your life in such a way that you have no regrets over things you wish you would have said, then you are truly embodying your beliefs. Remember that it is in the moments that we feel fear and doubt over whether or not to speak up and stand up that we most likely should. The world needs your voice, and the only thing keeping you from sharing it is selfish self-consciousness. Let go of your ego, embrace the fear of rejection that you feel, and speak up for what you know is right.
Speak up, and be heard, for if you don’t say a word, everything will stay the same.