Campfire Speech: On Shyness and Labels

I am going to be completely honest with you all. When I first agreed to do this talk, I immediately knew the general idea of what I wanted to share…and…I asked ChatGPT to write the speech for me. I was impressed with how authentic it sounded and was tempted to use it here tonight. But something felt icky. I mean…those weren’t exactly MY words and my whole speech tonight is centered around the topic of using your voice. So, I erased what ChatGPT came up with, started a fresh page, and here we are. Back to being me.

As a kid, I was labeled “shy”. I know some of you might be thinking “shy? There are way worse things to be called!”. And trust me, I know. As someone who has struggled with weight her whole life, I have been called a lot of mean names in my lifetime. But I’m focusing on shy because I want to tell you how I found my voice.

I was called shy so often that I believed it wholeheartedly and carried it around like it was a nametag. I didn’t EVER raise my hand in class, even if I knew the answer. At gatherings I hid behind my parents like they were my shield. I walked into rooms and tried to shrink myself down as small as possible so that no one would notice me. I also knew that because I was quiet and shy, I didn’t get in trouble. I didn’t have any attention on me, and I was more than happy with that.

I began to think that I was just not meant to be seen. I could float through life being quiet and shy and never have to share my thoughts out loud. Maybe I didn’t have anything worthy to say.

But soon I started to realize that I did have things I wanted to say. All my thoughts were stuck inside my brain, waiting to be let out. So, I started to slowly test it out a little bit. I wrote- journal entries, poems, letters. Writing helped me find and shape my voice and eventually I got braver and started sharing my thoughts out loud, too. Even if I was nervous or my voice was shaky.  And I started to feel a little bit more like me.

I want all of you to know that you don’t need to wear whatever label someone else gave you. You have a story, and a voice, and you have a whole world ahead of you to explore.  

You matter, you are loved, and you are enough. And your voice, even if it shakes, is worth hearing. Or… as Taylor Swift says…you’re the only one of you. And baby, that’s the FUN of you.