Do you ever have something on your mind when you go to talk to your boss? Do you ever have something on your mind when you go to have a conversation with a co-worker?

Maybe you don’t like something that they’re doing. Maybe you like a lot of what they are doing business-wise, but there is just something about them as a person that just doesn’t resonate with you or your core values. Maybe you don’t really like the way they handled something.

Whatever “it” may be, you are now in the situation where you have to go and talk to them about it. You don’t want to insult them. You actually like the person a lot.

You don’t want the person to be angry with you, or lose that person as a friend or contact. It’s just really important, though, to state how you feel and what you’re all about.

So as you’re driving to that person’s home or office, you rehearse what you’re going to say five, six or seven times. You might even wake up with apprehension about having this meeting.

You might send then an email that morning hoping they’ll cancel, because you really don’t want to say what you have to say. You know that what you have to say might end whatever relationship you have with that person.

You tend to take more of the negative side of it. You don’t only do this when you’re younger. You do it when you’re older too. There’s no age limit on it. There are men who do it at 25, and women who do this at 45.

An important thing to be able to do in life is to be able to state how you really feel. Part of your growth as a person is to get out of your head and get into the world.

When you say something you are feeling with authenticity and honesty, and you look and speak respectfully, the person to whom you are saying it can feel that. When someone can feel that, then the only thing they are going to do is to state their opinion back and discuss what you said. It’s really funny, because sometimes they might be actually thinking the exact same thing.

So, the hardest thing about life is saying what you feel. The greatest thing about life is when you get it out. If you can accomplish that, it is your biggest win.

If you are able to go and talk to someone with whom you were intimidated to have a conversation, and you not only have the conversation but really say what you feel, then guess what? The next time you need to have that type of conversation with someone, it is going to be that much easier.

This will teach you how to grow as a business person. This will also teach you to grow personally and emotionally, because you will no longer be afraid to voice what you’re thinking. The more you stand up for yourself, the more people will respect you.