A quiz I came across on a social media platform that I choose not to participate in yet, it caught my attention and inspired me to write about it.

There were four options available: Nurturer, Motivator, Truth-Teller, and Visionary. It hit me while I was reading this sponsored ad, that I humbly possess all four of those characteristics and have applied them unknowingly throughout my conversations, debates, and writings.

Initially, I was drawn to the superpower of being a ‘Motivator’. I have been told by many people that I speak with so much passion and I am always enthusiastic while speaking. I have also been told I can get loud, which can be mistaken as me yelling. In addition, my hand gestures and facial expressions are some of the signs of how excited I get when I speak about something I whole-heartedly believe in. I don’t take offence when I am told, I sound like I am yelling. I take it as a compliment actually. This is a confirmation for me that I am speaking from the heart.

It is indeed an indication that I am fully present and expressing myself in the best way I know how. It means, I care about the subject matter, which is also an indication that I am speaking my truth. I am speaking with confidence. I am speaking with love. I am speaking while illustrating with sounds or drawing symbols in the air.

I am an artist. I am a creator. In speaking, I do so with love, so I am a Nurturer. I speak with passion so I am a Motivator. I speak with all my emotions, so I am a Truth-Teller. Last but not least, I am a Visionary. I speak creatively as I describe the details, use examples, create scenarios, draw comparisons, and seamlessly moving my hands as if I am creating a piece of art.

Now I can say I speak with confidence and conviction. I speak with mindfulness and awareness. I speak knowing that every word I say may affect someone’s life forever, so I do my best to speak wisely and intently. That’s not saying that every word that came out of my mouth has been perfect in the past. I have succumbed to my lower vibrations and negative emotions many times. I have reacted in the heat of the moment, regrettably uttering some hurtful words in moments of anger and frustration. I have attempted to correct those actions by apologizing when I felt I was not right. And I have tried to make amends. Knowing this, I am also aware that sometimes, the damage is already done no matter how many explanations I may provide to my inappropriate words or the ‘sorrys’ that I may repeat in hopes of making things better.

Honestly, many times, the ‘sorrys’ were not for the other person. They were selfishly for me to feel better about myself after feeling horrible for what I have said. Other times, I felt justified in saying whatever I needed to say because it was necessary for this person to hear. And in other occasions, I believed that in ‘speaking my truth’, some words are not going to be pretty and cannot be sugar-coated.

However, I learned that speaking my truth does not need to be hurtful. It is right to stick by the truth. It is right to stand by the values and principles I believe in. It is not right though to intentionally hurt others while trying to help them.