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When you choose voice, you know someone is not going to agree with you. There will be opposition, criticism. There are two ways to deal with criticism: either get a strong thick skin, or a strong inner core.
Regina: Women need to learn how to get what has often been the private articulate discussion, exploration of emotion and ideas, into the public. We need to be able to do that.
It’s our responsibility. That means accepting the possibility of failure. We were girls, so we’ve been encouraged to accept the possibility of failure—failure is not unfamiliar to all too many of us. What really scares a lot of us is that people don’t like us. And that’s going to happen too.
You open your mouth; someone is not going to like you. And you talk to 20 people, you talk to 50 people ... somebody’s going to get mad, to feel you’re bossy, somebody’s going to feel you have a big mouth, somebody’s going to be upset. And that’s okay.
You are not going to make anybody like you anyhow. Why say, “But if I say something like that, they’re going to think I’m a bitch. They’re going to think I’m trying to take over. They’re going to think it’s like . . .” And your point is? Yes? Okay, now it’s up to you; why do you care?
You may also have to deal with jealousy. When someone is jealous, they try to “take it, break it, or denigrate it.” Criticism can originate from jealousy’s “denigrate” motivation. Criticism can also come from trying to take your voice, or your spirit, and break it.