Always have the confidence to speak your mind and the courage to stand behind your words.
This quote has been one of my guiding life principles since my teens. I chose it as my high school yearbook quote and wrote one of my college admissions essays about it.
I have always endeavored to live by it, speaking up even when my opinion is unpopular or contrary to the messaging of whatever group or organization I am affiliated with.
It’s not easy to do this.
When we speak up with a message that goes against the grain, we risk rejection, criticism, ostracism — even when we’re in the right.
When you have a strong opinion or a bold message, it’s virtually guaranteed that some people won’t like it. Those people might be current or future employers, partners, clients, or even your family.
The Risks and Consequences of Speaking Up
How often do you find yourself holding back what you want to say, for fear of how it may be received, or for fear of the consequences of speaking up?
I’ll admit that, as much as I try to live by this proscription to speak up with confidence, I don’t always follow through.
Sometimes I hold back, out of fear that people won’t get the message I’m trying to communicate. They’ll think my opinion is silly. Or maybe it won’t resonate with them.
These are the risks.
The actual consequences of these risks that I fear are that people won’t like me. Clients or potential employers won’t want to hire me. I’ll lose business. I’ll end up homeless and jobless and unemployable, and broke. Sound extreme?
Maybe, but these are the actual fears that lurk under the surface.
Given these fears, it’s easy to see why I might hold back from sharing my opinions.
Perhaps this example helps you see why you hold back from speaking up.
Here’s the thing:
These risks are real.
The Reality of Speaking Up Boldly
They are not just abstract risks, but likely outcomes. And some of the consequences I fear are also likely outcomes.
Not everyone will get it. It won’t resonate with everyone. Some people will actually not like my message.
It’s easy to say that “the messenger is not the message,” but the reality is that in our actual minds and hearts, it’s harder for many people to make that distinction. So as a result, some people who don’t like my message will form an unfavorable opinion of me, as a person.
There will be potential clients or employers who don’t want to work with me because of my opinions and the messages I share.
Is this how it should be? Of course not.
Is this fair? Probably not.
But it is fact. The reality of life is that human beings are …. human. We often struggle to divorce the messenger from their message. The way we feel about the message tends to become the filter through which we judge the messenger.
All this to say: the feared consequences are real.
And… it’s not a reason to hold back.
The Other Side of the Risk of Rejection
It’s true that your message may not resonate with some people. Some people may be offended, or think it’s dumb, or simply not get it.
It’s also true that there are people out there who desperately need to hear what you’re called to say, and they need to hear it from you.
It may be true that many other people deliver the same message that you deliver.
It’s also true that nobody else delivers it in the same way that you do. Nobody else has the same life experience to draw from, the same frames of reference, the same style of delivery.
There’s nothing out there that hasn’t been said before. But just because it’s been said doesn’t mean its been heard in the way it needs to be heard.
Sometimes we need to hear something in a certain way, from a certain person, at a specific time in our lives before it can impact us.
Each of us is here for a reason; we are each given messages to deliver to the world. If we want to make a difference in this world, we must speak up and deliver the messages we are here to share.
We must cultivate the confidence to speak our minds and the courage to stand behind our words. And we must have faith that for every person who dismisses or rejects us, there’s another person who is finding comfort and support from hearing our message.
This doesn’t necessarily make it easier to speak up, but it does instill in us the need to do so.
Mercury/Jupiter Conjunction: Speak Up With Confidence and Faith
Today, we get a little help in this endeavor of speaking up as Mercury and Jupiter form a conjunction in Aries.
Mercury is the planet of communications: the messenger, the microphone, the megaphone. It represents how we think, analyze, learn, and communicate.
Jupiter is the planet of abundance, blessing, faith, and wisdom.
They start this week coming together in a conjunction in the sign of Aries, meeting up exactly on Tuesday, March 28, 2023 at 2:50 am ET.
A conjunction is an initiation point; a new beginning to a cycle.
Although Mercury and Jupiter come together once a year, they don’t always meet in the same sign. This year, they meet in Aries, which has been the hot spot for conjunctions and new initiations in March 2023.
As the first sign of the Zodiac and the first sign of spring, Aries is already a sign that supports us with initiating energy.
Ruled by Mars, Aries is bold and confident in its actions. It doesn’t overthink or hold back.
Like the crocus sprout that pushes through the still-partially-frozen ground of early spring, Aries is determined to make itself known, to be seen and heard, to lead the way.
As Mercury and Jupiter refresh their union in this cardinal fire sign, it signals to us that it’s time for us to initiate some boldness in our communications and messages.
This is the last of several conjunctions we’ve had in Aries this year, giving us a new lease on life and a fresh start.
We must speak up with confidence and courage. We must put our message out into the world. And we must have faith that for every person who doesn’t “get it,” plenty more will not only get it, but welcome it.
How to Work With the Mercury/Jupiter Conjunction
To work with the energy of the Mercury/Jupiter conjunction, consider:
- What message or opinion would you dare to share if there was no risk to you from speaking up?
- What topics would you dare discuss in public if you felt no fear of repercussions from talking about them?
- What big idea has previously felt too risky to share publicly?
Use these prompts to help you find the message you are called to share at this time. And then share it with the world.
No matter how many times its been shared before, trust that someone out there needs to hear it now and is waiting for you to deliver it in your unique style.
Love it? Hate it? What do you think? Don't hold back...