WITHHOLDING YOUR CLARITY PROTECTS THEIR PEACE, NOT YOURS

When the autonomy of our choices were dismissed or invalidated by others in the past, it can make us reluctant to declare our decisions because we want to protect ourselves from anticipated judgement. So if you feel resistant to tell them, just remember that by withholding your clarity from them, what you are protecting is not your safety—but their stability.

You aren’t preserving yourself from their judgements. You are preserving their judgements from being questioned.
You aren’t protecting yourself from being challenged. You are protecting their right to remain unchallenged in their views.
You aren’t shielding yourself from their assumptions. You are shielding them from being wrong about their assumptions of you.

What you’re avoiding isn’t judgment itself, but the discomfort your truth might create in someone else. Even if you know that people aren’t going to handle the empowering decisions you’ve made for yourself well, tell them anyway. It’s better to be honest with them than it is to consent to a dynamic where your authenticity is distorted for their convenience.