"The best way of keeping a secret is to pretend there isn't one" -Margaret Atwood
We all have them. We hide them for years, lying about them to prevent people from finding out. Nobody can know about them not even your family. What am I talking about? Obviously I’m talking about secrets. Everybody has them whether you’re keeping your best friends crush hidden or protecting a code for a top secret mission. They can be big or small, but the most important thing about a secret.... No one can find out. And today that’s all about to change.
Let's start off with asking yourself "what is my deepest, darkest, most embarrassing secret?" You’ll find out mine later on in this post. But for now what I am going to talk about are some of the things that we all keep hidden inside, things we keep wrapped up so tightly that exposing it to the world seems almost impossible and just thinking about it can be extremely uncomfortable. So where to begin??? Starting this blog has helped me reach out to thousands of different people and during these countless number of not so much interviews but conversations I found we all have 1 thing in common. Secrets. We all have something we don’t want the other person to find out. But our “secrets” aren't as secret as you may think. Don't worry I'm not gonna expose some secret government mission or even worse the names of my best friends past crushes but I can say during a pretty special "interview" I held with someone who will remain nameless this past summer a particular question I asked gave me a pretty unexpected answer. I asked her what was she was most afraid of people finding out about her. At first she was hesitant, I mean who could blame her but She eventually caved in, leaned over to me and whispered “I’m afraid that I’ll never fall in love. That I’ll never find that one person who will truly accept me for me and all the flaws that follow.” I was shocked and curious as to why she kept such a natural feeling locked up in an I guess you can say “emotional prison” her response was almost as shocking as the first one, she leaned over a second time blocking her face from the spectators surrounding our table and said “I feel vulnerable when I show the slightest sign of weakness, I get embarrassed when I share how I really feel, and that can make me feel exposed.” I couldn’t believe that her deepest darkest secret was something everyone could relate too, Something that we all think to ourselves atleast once in our lifetime. So why was she so embarrased of anyone finding out? I continued with these different "interviews" and during each one I asked the same question. What are you most afraid of somebody finding out about you? A seemingly easy question right? Wrong. I was surprised with the variety of answers I received. Some, some were just plain strange while others were inspiring and well I'll let you decide for yourself. These quotes are from real people and don't worry I've been given full permission to share these with you, and the rest of the world. but for good reason. I’m not trying to embarrass or make anyone feel vulnerable but what we
(including the people who I originally interviewed) are trying to do is help you realize something that we all have trouble coming to terms with. And that is, we ALL have secrets big or small and we all have something that we’re afraid to let the other person know. But today, like I said earlier that’s all gonna change. We want you to know what we keep hidden inside and to know that we’re not embarrassed of sharing it with the world. Well at least most of it. Here are quotes from average people like you and me from around the world, who are doing just that. Sharing what they keep hidden inside in hopes of helping someone else going through the same thing, and showing them that it’s ok to feel this way and you will overcome it, or anything put in your way. "I'm in love with someone who can't and will never love me back.", "I hate college, if my family ever found out they'd be so disappointed.", "I'm a woman, a mom, and a wife, everyone told me not to join the army but I did, and I regret nothing." "I'm not as strong as people think I am, sometimes I need someone to lean on." We’re not as different as you may think, now are we? These quotes are just a few of many from people like you and me who have truly inspired the uprising of this campaign in so many different ways. After hearing, writing, and reading these quotes and their stories over and over again I realized that these secrets taught me life lessons that can alter your line of thinking. Before meeting these women I never looked at someone and wondered what their life story is and definitely not what secret they've been holding since elementary school or high school but I've started to realize one important thing and yes here it goes again. We're human, we all have emotions we all have stories, thoughts/opinions and secrets. Underneath this tough exterior we all think some of the same things, we all want people to know something, things we just can't say. or thoughts that just remain a thought and not an opinion. We've interviewed people who shared their thoughts and some of what they said are thoughts that cross our mind almost every day, like.....
"We take so much for granted, you never know when one day it'll all be gone." "The fighting, bullies, and lies, we all deserve better. The world deserves better." "I hate when people complain on social media." "I hate when people judge other people. People they've never even seen before." "I hate when people say you’re not good enough, when someone tells you you can't do something." "Losing a family member can make you feel like its the end. Like its over. But its not. Life does and will continue." "I fight for my grandmother, my aunt and friends, I fight for myself and others. We fight because we are survivors." "I love my family, my friends, they're my support, my rock." "I love when people are honest and can see a little bit of good in everyone." "I love who I am, and to all the haters f*** them." These are all quotes from normal people, People willing to share a piece of their life to help someone else. this person could be someone you would never give a second glance too, like a cashier at your local grocery store, your next door neighbor, or even a family member. Everyone has a secret, are you willing to share yours? So the big question everyone is probably still wondering about is what do I keep hidden inside. What’s my big secret? Well that you already may know (hint, hint).... Now my big question to you is, what are you most afraid of someone finding out?
