How often do we let ourselves speak? Truly speak?
I don’t just mean having the courage to pipe up when we’re taking a stand for something or admitting an emotion.Ā
I’m talking about letting our hearts talk to us without holding back.Ā IĀ mean conversing with the soul in a way that is free and open and attentive.
No holds barred. Anything and everything free to flow and emerge and just come out.
Out of the darkness stuffed with all our best ideas.
Out of the space chock-full with our desires and visions and abilities.
Out of the knowledge that we are bright enough to do whatever we want to do and we deserve to shine, goddammit.
No holds barred. No censoring. No thinking “I shouldn’t say this because I might offend someone.” So what if you do? Will it be the first time? Will it be the end of the world? Will it be such a catastrophe if you just let yourself speak your truth and live your art?
It’s not about being obnoxious. I’ts not about being overbearing or a pain in the ass. It’s about being real. It’s about being the truest version of yourself. It’s about having the guts to say “This is who I am. Take me as I am. I am worthy. I am beautiful. I am enough.” and believing it deep down in your heart of hearts.
It’s about listening to the soft voice whispering the secrets of your soul and telling you to drop what’s not sacred and important to you.
It’s about freeing yourself to acknowledge what you want and clarifying exactly what it all means to you.
Letting yourself truly speak is about stepping into your magic as you exit your comfort zone.
That’s so true, isn’t it? Your comfort zone is finite and well-defined. The magic exists outside any confines. It cannot be quantified. The magic is freedom and wholeheartedness. The magic is abundant space. The magic is taking to the sky and feeling your spirit soar wild and free.
I speak these words to myself even as I speak them to you. Make no mistake, fears will spring up the moment you decide to take that first step and try something new. Be prepared to push back. Only the bold realise every dream. Win or lose, rise or fall, you have to keep going. Keep moving forward. No matter what. One actionable step at a time; every one counts.
I recently decided to turn my blog professional. I’ve been pogoing between bliss and the doldrums ever since I admitted it out loud. I mean, other people know. There’s no place left to hide and I am now officially accountable to myself and the universe. Eek!
Isn’t that the only way to grow, though? To give our dreams form so we can translate them from soul to reality? It may take a while; weeks, months, years, who knows? The important thing is that you try. You act. You make a plan and stick to it even when you just wanna curl up and pack it all in.
Lately I’ve been fighting the urge to give up on my Facebook page and this blog. It just felt like I wasn’t reaching anyone, you know? I had to keep reminding my friends and family to read my content and it was killing my spirit.
I became obsessed with traffic stats and page interactions and numbers of likes and comments (or lack thereof), and I lost sight of what I set out to do in the first place.
It wasn’t to become popular (wouldn’t hurt, though) or have the most-visited site (would be nice). It was to reach out to hearts everywhere. It was to host a platform where anyone could come to nourish their soul and lift their spirit. It was to share what my heart has to say because I’ll burst if I keep it all to myself.
I didn’t set out to get hung up on numbers. I set out to have impact.
Impact is rather immeasurable, isn’t it? How do you quantify a shift in someone’s thinking thanks to your content? How do you put a number on a skip in another person’s step thanks to your presence? Corbett Barr‘s post The Real Truth About Blog Comments made me stop the craziness and get back to the most important thing: connecting with my audience.
This is not to say that healthy numbers are anything to be sneezed at, because they’re not. But it is necessary to keep everything in context and not lay a square egg every time my traffic dips or feedback dries up. These folks are busy and as we all know, time is money.
I found myself writing shorter and shorter posts because I wanted to make it easier for those who read with their smartphones or don’t have much time to settle down with a lot of material. And I think that’s where the trouble started. That’s where I lost myself. I was acting according to something superficial. It wasn’t me. It wasn’t working.
So now, I’m going back to my roots and reclaiming this space as what I intended it to be. It’s a space for me to share my personal brand of magic, which is to foster relationships and conversations that energise, enlighten, and uplift the soul.
It’s a space for us to connect. To go beyond the small talk and frenetic bustling and have heartfelt conversations about the things that matter most. Love. Joy. Blessings. Knowing we are not alone and we don’t have to be afraid.
If you don’t have time to read content longer than a few lines or paragraphs, this site isn’t for you. If you’re not willing to take the time to stop and think about important questions even if/when they make you uncomfortable, then this site definitely isn’t for you. No hard feelings.
But. If you’re willing to take a chance with me, to stay with me as we discover new things together and make our bond ever tighter, I’d love to say “Welcome” and “Thank you“. Thank you for having the strength to change whatever’s not working or could be better. Thank you for having the courage to make that change. Thank you for letting me make a difference in your world.
My name is Otiti. I am a soul visionary, heart hugger, and huge love advocate. I’m here to nourish and inspire your soul (and mine!) as we live and grow together through this whirlwind called Life.
I’m here to be real. Authentic. Heartfelt expression from my gut to yours. It’s so good to meet you. 
Today, I urge you to express yourself. No holds barred. Let your spirit speak. Life is too precious to be anything but the truest version of yourself.
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How will you go about it? Please feel free to share in the comments below, on Facebook, and/or on Twitter. Thank you for spending this time with me! Ciao, lovelies.
So many nuggets of wisdom here Otiti, and it reminded me how far I've come. I used to worry a lot about people thinking I was too…intense, passionate, smart, forward, etc. It was exhausting and I felt suppressed.
When I finally got that there would always be someone who thought that way no matter what I did I let go of the worry. It was like letting the genie out of the bottle and I became free to express myself in new ways.
You are there my friend. Let it rip!
Thank you, Ms. Fireball!! You're right, it's incredibly draining and so not worth it. The only way to live is to be true to oneself and bold enough to retain that identity no matter whose ox is gored. Now I just have to remember that on a regular basis, ha ha.
That is a GREAT link, first of all, thank you for linking to that, because it is exactly how I (want to) blog and it is really wonderful to see it explained so simply.
I do often read on my iPod touch, but I really really like long thoughtful posts, even on that small screen. However, commenting is a PITA, so I rarely comment when I'm reading there. I try to keep that in mind on my own blog (which doesn't get many comments – I am thinking about turning them off entirely, actually, but I haven't yet. Still mulling that over. I'd rather have the conversations be on Facebook, though.)
Keep on keeping on because your authenticity matters. I love reading your words, even if I comment rarely (or never).
You're welcome! I thoroughly enjoyed it and learned a lot as well. And thank you so much for taking the time to reach out to me here. I do appreciate it. Yes, the long posts are here to stay unless I'm inspired to do otherwise, LOL. Thanks again for your encouragement. It's good to know I'm making a difference on here.
I absolutely enjoyed this Muse. It was a refreshing read. And I must add that your growth is evident both as writer, a person and my personal muse. If you think your writing isnt reaching out to anyone, you are wrong. I have learnt quite a lot from you and your experiences, plus you constantly remain my gurl who always knows how to 'work it'! Go gurl, I am your biggest cheer leader and fan…. You know im right
Ese! I know I can always count on you. š Thanks so much. It's heartwarming to get these affirmations and know that my efforts are seen and appreciated. I've learned from you as well and look forward to many more years of the same. š Mwah!
Longer…
Truly inspiring and that was no holds barred. š
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Aww Otiti this is a beautiful piece. I am strengthened to be who I want to be without limitations regardless of any’s opinion. I commit to ur blog post. This is a site for me and no matter how long, short or hard ur piece might I will read it. More and more my vision of u speaking to d youths in Badore is increasing. I believe thru a platform like that u can get more Nigerian students who are willing to make their life count to be connected to ur blog to get insight and impact. I love u miss. Thank u for sharing.
Thank you, Dami. Ahh, what a lovely thing to say about committing to my site. I’m honoured. š To be honest, I really haven’t thought about speaking at our old school but I suppose anything is possible. I love you too, my friend!