Have you ever been in a situation where you start to feel like you’ve been bamboozled? It’s not a nice place to be – 
feeling like someone has taken advantage of you. In situations like this, it’s easy for some of us to express how we feel, stand up for ourselves and attempt to make things right. For others, it’s more of an internal battle. There’s a struggle between wanting to address the issue and wanting to avoid conflict at the same time.
I used to be someone in the second category. Conflict has never been something that I was very comfortable with. If standing up for myself would require a confrontation of any kind, it wasn’t happening. I have learned that this isn’t the best way to deal with things. Not everything needs to be a battle, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t express ourselves and let our thoughts and feelings be heard.
I’ve been dealing with a situation for several months now, where I have found myself justifying the uncomfortable feeling I was getting after entering into a business agreement with someone. It wasn’t until this weekend that I finally decided to address it and I’m glad I did.
I’m also glad that I have a support system that I can go to during times like this. When something requires you to step outside of your comfort zone, it’s important to have people around you that will offer their advice and encouragement. Sometimes I just need a reality check to make sure that I haven’t allowed my closeness to a situation to block my objectivity.
Finding your voice is one of the most empowering things you can do for yourself. Once you’re able to express your thoughts and feelings about an issue clearly to people without worrying about it, you’ll find that things start to shift. You’ll start to feel better about yourself because you’re no longer giving your power away. Others will begin to see you in new light because you have reclaimed your power and are more confident in everything that you do.
While speaking up for myself hasn’t resulted in a speedy resolution to my issue, I do feel better now that I have expressed my thoughts and concerns. I am no longer comfortable “keeping it to myself” or complaining to others without working to find a solution. There are times when we all need a moment to vent, but we don’t want to live there. If there’s something in your life that you need to address, speak up, say something! It may not mean a quick and easy fix, but once you’ve put it out there, you can focus on what to do to make it better. ♥