“The truth will set you free.” I’m sure you’ve heard that before. Speaking your truth is important for so many reasons. We all want to feel validated. We all want to be heard; not just listened to, but heard. We all want for our voice to matter. But none of us wants to be that person who RANTS their truth. What happens to you when you encounter that person who spills their opinions like an overflowing cup of hot coffee, scalding the sensitivity and receptivity for all within earshot. I don’t know about you but I shut down, put up a wall, and let those tantrums go in one ear and out the other; thereby not offering validation of their expression and not really HEARING them at all.

In turn, we don’t ever want to be that person so we end up stifling our opinions and biting our tongues in social settings to avoid becoming intolerable because we’ve had the experience of being dumped on by so many others.

There is a problem, however, that occurs when you don’t speak your truth. You can start to build up resentment towards others; harboring feelings and judgements against them because you don’t sense that they care about your thoughts or ideas. You can start to feel small and insignificant, as well, when you don’t express yourself. You can even start to manifest physical symptoms in your body when you hold in too much like sore throats, tight jaws, headaches, and poor digestion; I work with yoga clients on correcting these issues all of the time.

You may be saying “But, Val, what about ‘The truth will set you free?’”

I am here to tell you that the truth CAN absolutely set you free but there is a caveat to the principle. If you want your truth to bring you freedom, to bring you a sense of validation, and a knowing that you’ve been heard, then you have to approach the way in which you deliver your truth with honesty, authenticity, non-judgment, and above all, Love.

First of all, get honest with yourself by seeking out the reasons behind your truth. Where does the resonance of that opinion come from within you? Does it stem from a core value? Or does it stem from a sense of anger about something that you’ve been holding onto from the past that, in all honesty, you need to release.

My guru Gabby Bernstein says that you need to “Clean up your side of the street before you take your truth to the other side of the street.”

Getting clear about why you feel a certain way can help you avoid that “dumping” syndrome that so many of us are tempted to do when telling the truth.

Once we have a pretty good handle on WHY we feel a certain way we need to be sensitive to others. How are they going to perceive your truth based on your delivery? If you can tune yourself into a loving vibration, loving yourself by honoring your opinion enough to say it aloud and also loving that person enough to bring honesty to the table without judgment then you have a really good chance of being heard, validated, and respected in a healthy and happy way.

And finally once we speak our truth with love and non-judgment, we must extend the same right to others and remain open to hearing and validating their truth.

If we can master these three steps we can bring life to that age old adage and really occupy that space of freedom by expressing truth. Let’s all become radical truth speakers through love and bring about a level of freedom to our lives that can’t help but make us happier!