Thank you! You are giving us permission to own our silence and to respect our need for quiet. So much bubbles up when my attention is focused inward.
I know I make people nervous. Which makes me nervous. I am constantly having to remind myself that maybe it's not that I'm too silent. Maybe the world is just too noisy.
I’ve learned that silence can be a form of wisdom, not a lack of voice. Sometimes it’s God teaching you to listen deeper before you speak louder.
There’s strength in pausing.
There’s power in discernment.
And there’s nothing broken about choosing peace over performance.
Some of us didn’t grow quiet because we were afraid; we grew quiet because we were paying attention. And now, we get to choose connection from a healed place, not a guarded one. 💚✨
Thank you for putting language to something so many of us have lived but rarely explain.
According to personality tests, I am an extrovert but there are times when I don’t feel like talking, don’t want to hear your problem, and don’t want to fix your problem. But I usually ignore these feelings and try to be the helper, the fixer, the contributor, the friend. But this eventually creates feelings of fatigue and frustration for me. So sometimes I’m quiet but then folks assume that I am sick or just not feeling 100%. Then one day I listened to a YouTube video titled “Focus on Yourself & Stay Silent.” It uses an AI generated Maya Angelou voice but the words are powerful. I think I’ll listen to that again. It has a similar message. Thanks for sharing your words.🙏🏽
The message I received as a boy was to speak only to please others. This confusing matrix of trying to say the "correct" words while needing to be valued for my true voice led to stifling my true voice. Your post encourages men like me! Thanks!
I love this. As someone who is actually introverted, I’m often misunderstood in certain spaces. People sometimes assume I’m being rude, standoffish, or disengaged, when in reality I’m being observant. I’m listening. I’m taking everything in.
I process before I speak. I pay attention to energy, tone, and what’s happening around me. Sometimes I’m learning. Sometimes I’m reflecting and sometimes I genuinely don’t have anything to say in that moment.
Silence doesn’t mean disinterest. It doesn’t mean I don’t care, it just means I’m present in a way that doesn’t require words.
Well said, quiet and calm is my superpower especially at work. The more I’ve learned and observed the less I realized I have to say. Presence and essence does most of the work. You nailed it!
This resonates with me so much. My entire life I have been labeled as the “shy” or “quiet” girl when in reality I am just observant. I watch and notice everything so if I am not speaking it doesn’t mean I am shy, timid, or quiet it just means I am taking in my surroundings. Growing up I always got called out from both family and friends about it and it made me question myself and take on those labels. Hell i might not just have anything to say but I’m still present. I’m working on detaching myself from these labels because I’m just me. Thank you for this
I am the observer, the intro / extrovert, the frequent hermit. And often called on for insight, clarity, advice. I usually only speak when it matters, or necessary.
Thank you for this ! So many years I have been labeled as “the shy girl” , “the quiet one “ or that I was a weirdo for being quiet . I have even been labeled as “shrinking myself “ because I was quiet . I used to think something was wrong with me! I’m glad to know I’m the normal one and everyone else is weird
Thank you! You are giving us permission to own our silence and to respect our need for quiet. So much bubbles up when my attention is focused inward.
I know I make people nervous. Which makes me nervous. I am constantly having to remind myself that maybe it's not that I'm too silent. Maybe the world is just too noisy.
Agreed ❤️💯
Whew… this one spoke straight to my spirit.
Quiet has never meant absent; it’s meant aware.
I’ve learned that silence can be a form of wisdom, not a lack of voice. Sometimes it’s God teaching you to listen deeper before you speak louder.
There’s strength in pausing.
There’s power in discernment.
And there’s nothing broken about choosing peace over performance.
Some of us didn’t grow quiet because we were afraid; we grew quiet because we were paying attention. And now, we get to choose connection from a healed place, not a guarded one. 💚✨
Thank you for putting language to something so many of us have lived but rarely explain.
According to personality tests, I am an extrovert but there are times when I don’t feel like talking, don’t want to hear your problem, and don’t want to fix your problem. But I usually ignore these feelings and try to be the helper, the fixer, the contributor, the friend. But this eventually creates feelings of fatigue and frustration for me. So sometimes I’m quiet but then folks assume that I am sick or just not feeling 100%. Then one day I listened to a YouTube video titled “Focus on Yourself & Stay Silent.” It uses an AI generated Maya Angelou voice but the words are powerful. I think I’ll listen to that again. It has a similar message. Thanks for sharing your words.🙏🏽
The message I received as a boy was to speak only to please others. This confusing matrix of trying to say the "correct" words while needing to be valued for my true voice led to stifling my true voice. Your post encourages men like me! Thanks!
I love this. As someone who is actually introverted, I’m often misunderstood in certain spaces. People sometimes assume I’m being rude, standoffish, or disengaged, when in reality I’m being observant. I’m listening. I’m taking everything in.
I process before I speak. I pay attention to energy, tone, and what’s happening around me. Sometimes I’m learning. Sometimes I’m reflecting and sometimes I genuinely don’t have anything to say in that moment.
Silence doesn’t mean disinterest. It doesn’t mean I don’t care, it just means I’m present in a way that doesn’t require words.
I so support you in protecting your inner world!
Well said, quiet and calm is my superpower especially at work. The more I’ve learned and observed the less I realized I have to say. Presence and essence does most of the work. You nailed it!
This resonates with me so much. My entire life I have been labeled as the “shy” or “quiet” girl when in reality I am just observant. I watch and notice everything so if I am not speaking it doesn’t mean I am shy, timid, or quiet it just means I am taking in my surroundings. Growing up I always got called out from both family and friends about it and it made me question myself and take on those labels. Hell i might not just have anything to say but I’m still present. I’m working on detaching myself from these labels because I’m just me. Thank you for this
I shared this message for others who can relate, and for others to read this and finally (maybe) understand this part of me.
I am the observer, the intro / extrovert, the frequent hermit. And often called on for insight, clarity, advice. I usually only speak when it matters, or necessary.
Thank you for this ! So many years I have been labeled as “the shy girl” , “the quiet one “ or that I was a weirdo for being quiet . I have even been labeled as “shrinking myself “ because I was quiet . I used to think something was wrong with me! I’m glad to know I’m the normal one and everyone else is weird