It started with something small. My friend asked me what movie I wanted to watch, and I said "I don't care, whatever you want." But I did care. I had a preference. I just didn't want to state it in case she didn't like my choice. 🎬

Then I thought about how much I do this. How often I say what other people want to hear instead of what I actually think. How I go along with plans that don't excite me. How I pretend to enjoy things I don't actually enjoy. 😔

And I realized—if I'm not being honest about small things like movie choices, how can I be honest about big things? How can I build real connections if I'm constantly hiding what I actually want? 💔

Being honest means risking disapproval. It means someone might not like my choice. They might judge me for it. But living a lie where everyone likes me is worse than being myself and having some people not get it. 🤔

I've been so focused on not hurting people or making them uncomfortable that I've basically erased myself. And I'm tired of it. ✨

When did it become so hard to just say what you actually want? 🤷