Shhh.

Shhh.Boys (and some girls) are told, “Be quiet, sit still, stop interrupting.”

• • What they hear: “Your voice, your movement, your sounds, get in the way of this more important thing happening.”
  • What they tell themselves: “Slow down, fall in line, stand for nothing."
  • What they embody over time: “Shhh.”

Girls (and some boys) are told, “Don’t compete, be gentle and cute and proper.”

• • What they hear: “You opinions, your intelligence, your public gifts, your edge are getting in the way of this more important thing happening.”
  • What they tell themselves: “Withhold that thought, quiet that perspective, hide that opinion."
  • What they embody over time: “Shhh.”

You, dear friends, have embodied a lie.Be loud (not obnoxious).Be big (not egotistical).Be opinionated (not prideful).Be brilliant (not pretentious).People like us that are unwilling to continue with the way things are, must ignore the message that creeps up when we’re about to share, launch, or leap that says, “Shhh.”