Emotional safety is the first ingredient in speaking your true voice.

[Do you feel safe when you tell the truth?]

I was asked recently to do my third TEDx (woot woot— more on that later) and the idea around safety arose for me. In my first TEDx, I urged people to speak their truth. What I didn’t say or do was tell HOW to tell the truth, let alone speak it out loud to the masses. 

It seems like a bit of an unintentional disservice that reflected where I was at in my own journey. 

Because at that time in my life, I didn’t feel safe. 

What do I mean by this? 

It’s simple and profound. 

You’re sitting in front of someone. You’re invited to be honest. Do you feel safe inside your body? Do you feel safe with the person you’re speaking to? Do you feel safe in that room you’re standing with those folks? And do you, first and foremost, know what safety feels like in the first place?

I did not understand what peace felt like. I also didn’t understand safety or truth and all three of these are related. 

The internet world implores you to speak your truth, go out and make a racket, make a difference, go-go-go, and push. 

And on some level, I agree that the yang action of bringing your voice to the world, as a practice, matters greatly. 

And yet, I’m still ever so concerned with the first and foremost tenement to saying anything worthwhile (and the reason I believe we so often don’t): do you feel safe? 

Slow down. Get in your body (that could be the first clue). And ask yourself this question. 

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