Episode 199: The Cost of Keeping Quiet

First They Came by Pastor Martine Niemöller First they came for the communists and I did not speak out, because I was not a communist. Then they came for the socialists and I did not speak out, because I was not a socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists and I did not speak out, because I was not a trade unionist. 

Then they came for the Jews and I did not speak out, because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak out for me. What’s something you wish that you’d said lately but you didn’t? Today I share three ways it is costing you when you keep quiet. 

I’m Megan Skidmore. For two and a half years I have been talking about evolving faith journeys. I started to tire of the heaviness of this focus. 

I had the clear message come through. It is time for Beyond the Shadow of Doubt Podcast to evolve into Living Beyond the Shadow of Doubt Podcast. With the same vulnerability and unapologetic authenticity, I will be focusing on the joy in this journey, the life and the living that comes on the other side of maybe, on the other side of what’s possible. 

I want to talk about claiming spiritual sovereignty and becoming your own captain of your vessel. Let’s celebrate releasing what no longer aligns for you and connecting with your higher power and honor expanding your energy field to make room for all things new. Mark your calendars and set your reminder for this Friday. 

I am hosting First Friday’s free coaching. I hold it on the first Friday of the month. So not only is this a great starting point to introduce you to my work, you can come and experience what it’s like to be coached or watch someone else be coached. 

In this Friday’s session, I’m especially excited to share some of what I’m learning in Emotional Alchemy Certification with Master Coach Sarah Trapkes. We’ll talk a little bit more about what I’ve addressed in today’s episode and perhaps even unearth some of the hindrances or things getting in the way of you speaking up. Use the link in the bio to register in order to get the unique Zoom link. 

They change each month for privacy reasons. See you soon. Everyone, welcome to today’s episode. 

So grateful you’re here. So that poem I read in the beginning intro was written by Pastor Martin Niemöller. He was a Lutheran minister, an early Nazi supporter who was later imprisoned for opposing Hitler’s regime. 

This is actually not a poem, as many believe. This was a confession of sorts that was shared during a speech in a post-war lecture tour that addressed his inaction and indifference to the

fate of many of the Nazis’ victims. This was an attempt on his part to help fellow Germans accept personal responsibility for complicity in the Nazi regime. 

Pastor Niemöller eventually had a change of heart, but not without some regrets and also some costs, personal and interpersonal. I’m grateful he shared this change of heart openly and that it has been recorded for future generations to learn from. When you have something to say, an opinion to make known, or a need to express, or to acknowledge your wants or wishes or verbalize a desire, what do you do? Do you speak openly about it, even in mixed company? Or do you tend to keep it inside and stay quiet? The next time this happens, I invite you to pay particular close attention to that brain chatter that’s going to come up in response to your choice, whether that choice was to speak up or not. 

This will give you so much insight into what it is costing you. Here are three ways it costs you when you keep quiet. The first way is a loss of inner peace. 

When we ignore that inner voice, capital I, capital V, we are teaching and reaffirming to ourselves that it is not safe to do so. Subsequently, we find and see evidence of how this is true in our life and why we should not speak up the next time that an opportunity presents itself. Inner peace does not have a chance when we betray our own needs, wants and desires. 

Incidentally, in energy work, desire is one of, if not the highest vibration from which to act, work, speak, make choices. So there is a great cost and it is a huge loss to continually stifle, ignore and push down our needs, wants and desires. The second cost when you keep quiet is a loss of authentic connection. 

So when you ignore that inner voice, you have to show up in some form. So that’s usually in wearing a mask or presenting a false self, sometimes called a public persona. It’s definitely not the persona that the ones that you’re closest to will see in more private and intimate settings. 

Wearing a mask and presenting this false self or public persona depletes your energy. It is not a natural extension of you and who you are. So you feel perpetually misunderstood and with good reason because folks are not seeing nor being shown the real you. 

And so therefore we’re literally and figuratively not see you when your voice is not authentic. You know, authentic is just another word for honest or truthful. Then relationships cultivate distance and resentment and strain instead of intimacy, gratitude and ease. 

A lack of authenticity and willingness to be vulnerable will cause stagnation in both individual and interpersonal growth. The final cost that I want to bring up in the ways that it costs you when you keep quiet is your loss of your true self. The choice of not voicing our beliefs, our needs, our wants, opinions, desires lives in our bodies. 

If we don’t say it out loud, it doesn’t go anywhere. And so sometimes this shows up in the way of illness, mental distress, spiritual detachment, physical pain, and so on. So now, not only do we feel unseen and unheard, but we also have other ailments to address.

So if you’re ignoring your inner voice, wearing a mask, being someone different in public than in private, the question remains, who are you then? In essence, you are slowly, silently muffling your true self. Not to sound dramatic, but it’s kind of like a death sentence, we could say. When the voice that yells from inside or speaks very loudly or strongly, I’m not comfortable with this thing, or this is not okay, gets repressed over and over, what takes its place? Then the next logical question is, why? Why does that particular idea or concept or phrase take its place? And if it didn’t come from inside of you, whatever takes its place will be something from outside of you. 

Borrowed, forced, a facade, a square peg trying to thrive in a round hole. It will not go well. I leave you with this, with these questions and a few thoughts. 

How is keeping quiet preventing you from the purpose that you came here to accomplish? The mission, the calling, the growth meant for you. What role are you playing that will be recorded in history for those who follow to learn from? How do you want to be remembered? Will it resemble who you truly are or instead who you want others to think you are? Which incidentally is all made up. You came to this earthly existence already being, you already are. 

You came that way. I invite you to love so hard on that soul that you already are. If you want to explore or talk further about any of these ideas or concepts, I would love to invite you to something I’m offering right now, an emotional alchemy session. 

I’m doing a limited number of complimentary sessions while I’m in my certification with Saratrapkus, emotional alchemy certification. I have certain requirements. So when those sessions are gone, they’re gone. 

I would love to introduce you to this modality. It is so transformational and I’ve gotten so much positive feedback. Just simply click the link in the show notes to book yours. 

Thanks for being here until next time. Writer, teacher, author, Mormon scholar and founder of Dialogue Journal, Eugene England said, my faith encourages my curiosity and awe. It thrusts me out into relationship with all creation and encourages me to enter into dialogue. 

As a proud member of the Dialogue Podcast Network, my hope is that living beyond the shadow of doubt podcast is an extension of that vision. Visit meagansgidmorecoaching.com to find this podcast and additional free resources, including the link for a complimentary coaching session. Follow me on Facebook or Instagram for more or to send me a DM. 

Help the podcast grow. Please follow, review and share with a friend.