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onfrontation. It can be scary for everyone. The more I talk about this, the more I realize I am definitely not alone in this. No matter how much advice I get, it’s still something I struggle with almost daily. I am the literal definition of a pushover, and I will do anything to make people happy, even if I don’t necessarily consider them my friend. My biggest problem is always saying, “it’s okay!” The biggest quality I look for in people is humor. I love to laugh, and it makes me happy to make others laugh. However, sometimes it can get taken too far, and someone can get hurt. I know we’ve all been there—you’re enjoying a good roast session with your friends and they say something that hits a little too close to home. The look on your face says it all. You’re hurt, but your friends roll their eyes and say they’re only joking. So what do you do? Even though it sucked, you say, “it’s okay!” Sometimes, what they said was totally not okay, but to me, their feelings and thoughts are more important than my own. I don’t want them feeling bad about themselves all day, and I don’t want them thinking I’m mad at them or that our friendship is toast. Does that mean it’s fair for me to not speak up? The thought of someone being upset with me or not liking me fills me with such anxiety that I am more than willing to bury my own thoughts than saying out loud what I am feeling. It sounds a little sensitive, but I realized that if this is how I am now, how will this turn out in the future? People will walk all over you all the time if you let them. Being a journalist, this can be extremely hard. The industry is brutal, and people will do whatever it takes to rise to the top. The goal is to be successful, but does that make it okay to tear people down on your way? And if I don’t start saying, “that’s not okay” now, when will I? I’ll let people pile their own to-do lists on my plate before I have the courage to say, “I can’t do that.” No matter how big or small. “Can you do the entire project by yourself?” Sure! “Can you pay for all of us?” No problem! Therefore, my biggest goal for this year is to speak up and take charge once in awhile. I want to be able to say “that’s not okay” and “no way” and not feel like I just hurt everyone involved. This past semester in school, I barely had a moment to myself. Balancing classes, a job, writing for a school newspaper, being active in a sorority and being a student ambassador all took up my life, and I had no good reason to bring others’ obligations into the mix. I hope that with the new year, I can change this. So, future me, I hope that you’ve grown a bit of a spine.
by Madison Greer 2
