I know that communication is key.

To do well in your career, you need to communicate effectively. In order to create a productive and welcoming environment with co-workers, communication is an absolute necessity. If I want to exceed academically, I need to communicate my thoughts and ideas graciously and successfully. The road to happy and fulfilling relationships of all kinds (platonic, sexual, romantic, or any combination of the three) is, you guessed it, communication.

I know communication is key but it is something I struggle with all the time. I do not think communication should be easy, but I wish we would stop touting it around as if it came with no difficulty at all. For example, expressing how you feel, how you really truly feel, is hard. It takes courage and vulnerability.

One of the ways to improve communication is to let go of the fear of the responses. A lot of the times, we hold back our words not because we are being thoughtful or critical, but because we are afraid of what the other person may say in return. And, honestly, that's OK! It is intimidating to put yourself out there for others to receive (or reject) you.

Communication is uncomfortable, especially if you have a non-confrontational personality.

Communication is scary. You never know how someone will react.

Communication is tiring. There are times you are not understood, no matter how many times you reword your thoughts.

Communication is draining. Especially, when we have to communicate difficult situations to the people we care about, it can take a toll.

But, communication is necessary and it really is key to solving a variety of issues and problems. It is something I hope to get better at day by day, little by little. In the meantime, please don't yell at me for not communicating my thoughts prefectly!