Too many people are afraid of shame. It’s a symptom that being judged is a negative thing. But it isn’t.
Without being judged, without experiencing shame, how can you possibly say who you are and what you believe in? Most people tread lightly and are too conscious of being ridiculed.
Not everybody will like what you have to say. Not everybody will care. A lot of people will think you’re a fool.
Thing is though, that stops people from self-expression. From being who you are. Do you think that Steve Jobs cared what people thought about what they made in Apple? A six hundred dollar phone with no keyboard for business consumers - look how that turned out.
At the end of the day, people will judge you no matter what. If you’re totally neutral, they’ll think you’re somebody who simply conforms to traditional means of thought. Whether or not you say the right things, people will often look at you and say: “what the hell are you thinking?”
Embracing shame is a wonderful thing. It frees you from the constraints of being afraid to be judged. If you actually stand up and take a stance on things, a lot of people will disagree with you and think you’re crazy.
The wonderful thing is that even if what you stand for causes 98 out of a 100 people to think you’re ridiculous, those two that agree with what you have to say is two more than most people have agreeing with them their entire lives.
Don’t be afraid of being shamed. Some people may not like what you have to say. The cool thing is that some people might agree with you. It’s magical.
Shame is an awesome thing. Embracing your opinion is awesome. Embracing who you are is awesome.
There is no harm in it. Absolutely none. Stand for something. Allow people to judge you and embrace it. It’s better to say something than to say nothing at all. If people judge you for it, does their opinion really matter? Do those people even have a meaningful thing to say?