I am one of the most opinionated people you will ever meet. Lately, I haven't been sure if I'm proud of that or if I'm ashamed of it, but I do know that it's part of who I am.
I have strong opinions about big, important, real things; and I have strong opinions about stupid, irrelevant, insignificant things. For example, I have strong opinions about capital punishment, President Obama, Mitt Romney, BYU, Sunny-D, ASU, hookah, religion, stuffed animals, racism, conspiracy theories, Scottsdale bars, the economy, cheese, Subway, immigration, etc. etc. The list is broad, jumbled, and goes on and on and on. And on the rare occasion that I come across a topic that I don't have a strong opinion about, I will formulate a strong opinion about it in my head in approximately 5 seconds and then proceed to fight with you about it as if I have focused my entire life on fighting for that cause. It's what I do. It's what I HAVE done.
However, with the election drawing nearer and the Facebook/media posts getting more and more heated...I've began to think about the difference between speaking your mind and yelling your mind. I think I've been a person that yells my mind, and I don't want to be that person. I'm starting to realize that people don't listen when you yell. They shut you off and walk away. I don't want to be the harsh woman who pushes buttons and boundaries on all types of people. I want to be the observant, quiet, thinker who stands strong in her beliefs. My opinions aren't going to change. They are a part of me and they always will be. But I think I'm just going to turn down the volume. I'm not going to yell. I'm going to be prepared to speak my mind when people ask me what I think. I'm going to let my thoughts swirl around in my own head instead of in controversial Facebook statuses and Instagram pictures.
I can't promise this is going to be a quick transistion for me, but it's going to be a real one. It's something I'm going to work on and try my best to be more aware of. If you want to know my opinions, ask. God knows I have more than enough to go around.
So proud of you beautiful girl for thinking of and actively pursuing ways to make yourself a better you. I love your opinions, but I understand what it means to re-evaluate the type of person you want to be. I think it's crucial that we have that type of self-reflection at this point in our lives. I love you oh so much.
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