Image via iStock.

It took a long time to gain the courage to whisper my truth—so when it suddenly seemed war was declared on my freedom of speech, I did the only thing I knew how to do—I spoke even louder.

I have battled my entire life with my inner voice and feeling comfortable, being and accepting myself. My entire journey has led me to this very moment in time.

I finally arrived to a place where not only am I okay with my truth, I’m in love with it too. I was recently in a situation where my freedom of speech was about to be violated, I had no choice but to sit with it.

Recently, my other job—one that is totally different than writing, but one that I love all the same, called me in for an investigatory meeting citing “my professionalism as it relates to social media.” A complaint had been made about my articles that I wrote for Elephant Journal and in the letter I received it suggested that I could be fired over my words.

My words of truth, of love, of sensuality, of life and what it means for each of us.

" A complaint had been made about my articles that I wrote for Elephant Journal—and in the letter I received it suggested that I could be fired over my words." (Image via iStock.)

When I first read the letter, I choked and bled from the words that were written. I was afraid that I was going to have my passion for writing taken away from me in order to keep my career.

As I clutched a friend at work like a scared child and sobbed against her shoulder I felt every single incident in my life where I was told that I needed to keep silent, where the simple act of being myself was never good enough.

I felt the bitter reality of what it feels like to have black tape pressed against my mouth. I felt the hate of a thousand hands on my throat reminding me that I am too much for this world.

I felt the despair at being presented once again with the thought of having to bury myself under a thousand layers of superficiality in order to be accepted and well-liked by others.

"I felt every single incident in my life where I was told that I needed to keep silent, where the simple act of being myself was never good enough." (Image via iStock.)

I felt betrayed, by those that wanted to silence me—and the world that makes it next to impossible for those, especially women, to shout our truths from the rooftops.

I have battled with being a people pleaser my entire life.

I don’t like confrontation, I don’t like arguments and sometimes I suck at standing up for myself.

Sometimes I roar a little too loudly but it is only because I don’t want to be drowned in the silence again.

Unfortunately, I am one of those people who learns a lesson the hard way—as soon as I thought my ability to write and speak my truth was about to be taken away from me I finally realised that my words had become the very air I breathe.

I have married my words of truth. As I was sitting looking at possibly losing everything I had built for myself—over words that made others uncomfortable—I finally realised that no matter what, I can’t make everyone happy.

I can’t always please others, I can’t always make the right choices and in the end, sometimes the only thing I can do is my best.

"As I was sitting looking at possibly losing everything I had built for myself—over words that made others uncomfortable—I finally realized that no matter what—I can’t make everyone happy." (Image via iStock.)

Yesterday as I sat teary eyed and broken I was reminded of my fragility, not just in the life I had created but in the very essence of my soul.

One of the biggest mistakes I have made is trying to do the right thing for so many people and then often neglecting myself in the process.

By gradually speaking up and writing I have discovered within myself a woman and a life that I didn’t even know existed so when I was threatened with the possibility of having to give all that up, I broke.

I broke apart in a tiny million pieces and while I had friends and family there to help me, no one was really there to help me put back the pieces together.

I decided how to shape my chaos into a beneficial lesson. (Post continues after gallery.)

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