postr/StutterJune 11, 2017

Why you should never settle in your quest for fluent speech

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Content

Why you should never settle in your quest for fluent speech I've spoken about people who have "settled" in the past and it's had quite a mixed response. People understood and acknowledged my points but for the most part people thought I was being negative. Fair do's, when somebody is telling you to do more (when you feel you're already doing what you can) it can seem off-putting. But is it? Let me unravel this in a way everybody will understand. When you stop learning, and when you stop trying new things, and when you stop executing...things stay the same. Things get stagnant. Nothing progresses and your situation will stay the same...or get worse. We feel like we're doing enough but there's always more to be done. There's always more we can learn about ourselves and the world around us. There's always more ideas to explore and implement. So why do we tell ourselves that "everything is alright" when things are clearly troubling us?? Why do we tell ourselves that (in a stuttering context) that we're ok with our stutters yet feel shame when we're not fluent? Or, why do we say that we can't be fluent when you're not proactive about different exercises and practices that can help with that?! On this subreddit, you see people telling others to "accept their stutter" yet these very same people can't accept theirs - and feel victimised by their stutter. Honestly, we shoot ourselves in the foot with this. With a lot of things actually. Not just with stuttering but with work ethic, relationships, mental health and physical health. We're the ones that are in control of our own circumstances. We can choose to see the world with a glass ceiling, or choose to see that there's an infinite ways to improve and make progress in our lives. Some will say this is an unhealthy obsession. But if there's a problem in your life that you need to eradicate/overcome, then an unhealthy obsession is what you need! Otherwise the problem will stay there until it consumes you and nothing can be done. Better to be obsessive than to be passive. Even today with me, somebody that's overcame their stutter, there's still areas of my life I can improve in. There's even areas of my speaking that I can do better in. All I want is for people to be proactive. Too many people in my life think things just happen to them and they have to deal with it. Without realising that we have to be the ones to create change for ourselves. Anyway, watch this video I've made about this topic. Pretty much highlights the same things and might be easier for everybody to take in. Let me know your thoughts. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUkddv6HiDo

Themes

Coping & AdvocacyEmotional ExperienceIdentity & Disability

Subthemes

Mindset shiftHope & MotivationAcceptance & Pride