(By Kimberly Taylor) Until a few years ago, a spirit of rejection haunted me. Growing up, I hated my tendency to be quiet. I used to grit my teeth when people would say to my mother, “She’s so quiet.” Here’s an example I will always remember. When I was in high school, my mother visited the school during an open house event. I was a good student and expected my mom to receive glowing reports about my performance. However, most of the teachers pointed out my quietness and how they wished I
would speak up more in class. I’ll never forget what my math teacher said to Mom: “She’s so quiet, I hardly know she’s in here.” “Great,” I thought, “Not only am I quiet, but I might as well be invisible.” The truth was, I was quiet because I was hypersensitive to other people’s disapproval. Even when someone gave me helpful feedback, it was like nails on the chalkboard. READ MORE
