Monday Motivation: Speak your truth even when your DMs are lit…

So y’all know I live at the gym. But going there for the last couple of days has been quite nerve-racking as it has felt like every TV screen that they have has been set to CNN for the Kavarnaugh supreme court justice confirmation hearing. 

But then on Friday, I saw a familiar face up on a podium in Illinois that filled my stomach with so much relief. Former president Barack Obama was in Illinois trying to rally voters for the midterm elections.

And while I couldn't hear what he said, the closed captions were enough to have me grinning from ear-to-ear, and reminding me that all had not been lost in the state of American politics.

Here is a full cut of Obama's speech.

So what is most important to note about the speech is that technically it has been historically unprecedented for a president to leave office so soon, and deliver such a powerful critique against a current president. But given the state of the world and American politics as we know it right now, Obama felt compelled to break tradition. He felt obligated to speak his truth.

And here's the thing about speaking your truth; while it is liberating, it is not always tolerated or accepted. There are some people in the world who are going to hate you for speaking your truth. There are many people that are upset at Obama for speaking his truth.

And I'm sure Obama even knew that people were going to be upset with what he had to say before going into making the speech. Yet still, Obama delivered his speech with confidence, and conviction because he realized that the ability to speak his truth, and use his platform for meaningful change was far more important to him than the opinions of those he doesn’t care about.

Obama understood his true why; his purpose in sharing his truth, and used that knowledge to give him a firm foundation on which he could deliver his thoughts with clarity, control, and confidence. He kept his mind concerned on what mattered most to him, and understood the risks and the benefits of going against historical precedence.

I'm sure there are many people who are clogging up his DMs with hate messages as I type, but I'm also equally sure that those messages mean nothing to him because at the end of it all, he accomplished his goal, and spoke his truth.

So many of us have been romanced by the idea of speaking our truth as if it means that it will lead to universal love and acceptance; that people will see us for who we are, and finally treat us with the the respect that we believe we deserve.

And while sometimes that is a likely outcome, does that mean that we never speak our truth because of the other likelihood that someone or many others might not like us?

I can't make that decision for you, but I can tell you that I truly do believe that people should live the lives they want to live; that they should live the life that make them feel most whole, and speak a truth that makes them feel their most true self.

However, as an “optirealist” I also have to be honest, and say that not everyone is going to accept it. But that's okay. That's not your goal.

As we set out to reimagine our Monday for the rest of the week, and think about ways to increase our confidence, your goal is to figure out what is your true why, and to establish a purpose/goal for yourself that is so much greater than the potential hate that you might get for living in your truth.

Find the thing that will compel you to confidently speak your truth (even if your DMs are lit)!

Much love, peace, and unapologetic fierceness, my Queens!