Dailyprompt-2890
What’s one thing you wish you had started doing earlier in life?
The first thing that comes to mind is standing up for myself.
But when I think about it, I also have to remember that I grew up in a different time, with different expectations.
For a long time, I was the people pleaser.
The one who tried to keep everyone happy.
The one who avoided arguments, smoothed things over and sometimes said “It’s fine” when it really wasn’t.
And in a way, it worked.
People-pleasing Maggie had fewer confrontations.
At least, fewer confrontations with other people.
The arguments I didn’t have out loud often stayed with me instead.
I would replay conversations in my head, think about what I should have said, and wonder why I hadn’t spoken up when something felt wrong.
Of course, it’s easy to look back with the experience I have now and say, “I should have stood up for myself sooner.”
But younger Maggie didn’t know everything older Maggie knows.
Sometimes keeping the peace felt like the safest or simplest option. Sometimes I genuinely believed that putting everyone else first was what I was supposed to do.
It took time to understand that being kind and having boundaries are not opposites.
I can care about someone without agreeing with them.
I can say no without giving a long explanation.
I can disagree without being unkind.
And I can stand up for myself without turning every disagreement into a battle.
Do I still prefer peace and quiet?
Absolutely. 😂💜
I’m not suddenly looking for confrontations. I have enough excitement in my life without going out to collect arguments.
But these days, I understand that peace isn’t always the same as silence.
Sometimes the most important thing you can do is speak up, even when your voice shakes a little.
So if I could give younger Maggie one piece of advice, it would be this:
You don’t have to make yourself smaller to make everyone else comfortable.
Your feelings matter.
Your boundaries matter.
And you are allowed to take up space in your own life.
I can’t go back and change how I handled every situation. Nor would I judge my younger self for doing what she knew how to do at the time.
But I can keep learning.
And I can make sure that the Maggie I am today doesn’t always have to be the last person she stands up for. 💜
https://ditto.fm/silenced-but-not-broken
My new song “Silenced but not broken” Lyric video.
With love, coffee, poetry, and stardust,
— Maggie The Afterlove Voice 💫
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