Zip It!!

Some of us need to learn how to zip it…hush…be quiet!

In a world that encourages us to announce every goal, every success, every opinion, and every move, it can be easy to forget the value of discretion. In this episode of GROW180 Talks, Anitra explores the power of privacy, the importance of healthy circles, and the wisdom of knowing when to be quiet.

Using biblical principles and practical life lessons, this conversation challenges listeners to consider whether they are sharing from a place of wisdom or a need for validation. It examines how oversharing can feed pride, comparison, insecurity, competition, and unnecessary distractions that pull us away from growth and maturity.

What if being quiet isn’t a weakness, but a strength?

What if not everything needs to be said, spread, or shared?

Take some time to examine your relationship with social media, your need for affirmation, and who truly needs access to the details of your life. Perhaps the greatest growth comes not from being seen, but from learning to live fully, quietly, and with greater wisdom and discernment.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Hey y'all, how y'all doing? I missed you guys. How's it going? How's life been treating you? How are you this morning? This episode should be dropping in the morning. Should be morning time when you're listening to this. But maybe some of y'all will catch it later in the day. But how is how are you doing? How's your day going? I hope you all are doing well. We are smack dab in the summer. It is June. It's been raining a lot here in Indianapolis. Um kind of reminding me more of springtime than summer, but nonetheless, we are towards the actually the end of June, getting ready to go into July, July the 4th. So I'm looking forward to some time off and whatnot. But otherwise, the weather is beautiful, the sun is shining, I'm doing well. And just glad to be back with you all today. I have something I want to talk about that, you know, this is dropped in my spirit as I was driving down the street a couple of weeks ago, and the thought came to me, zip it. Y'all know how when we were in kindergarten, first grade, the teacher would use the phrase, especially back in the day. I don't know if they say it as much now, but zip it. Now they don't want to be telling people's kids to shut up, right? Because we know that that's rude, but they will say zip it. Um, so that's what I want to talk to us about today. We need to zip it. Yeah, we in a time where everybody tells everything too much information sharing. Zip your lip. It is okay to have some privacy. Sis, lean in to the podcast this morning.

unknown 1:57

Shh.

SPEAKER_00 1:59

Hush. Be quiet. It's okay. Why do you have to share your whole life with the world? Now I know that this don't fit everybody, but I am 100% certain this fits somebody. So share this episode with somebody you love because this is for some of us. Not all of us, but some of us. You share too much, you talk too much. Zip it. And why are you zipping your lip? Zip your fingertips too. Stop all the posting. Why are you sharing your entire life with people who don't love you? Why? What is the root of why we need to be liked? Because that's what it really is. Even though we don't want to admit it, sometimes we share with people we don't know, whether it's verbally or through social media platforms, out of fun, um, out of for business. That's not what what I'm talking about today. I'm talking about over-sharing, sharing too much information, sharing all of your wins, all of your losses, all your uh everything that's going on with you. We don't need to know. And then let me let me let me pause and then wonder why uh people don't like you because you share too much. You you you oh god, we put everything out there. You know, the saints used to tell us back in the day, you know, don't speak sickness over yourself, right? Don't speak negativity over yourself. Don't put that out there because you're feeding the enemy, right? Well, let me tell you, you feeding the enemy when you post all of your business on social media, and then you wonder why people don't like you. You feeding the enemy, you're breeding haters. And they're like, I don't know why people don't like me. I don't bother nobody. You're feeding negative people, you're feeding insecure people, you're rubbing people the wrong way. Well, I should be able to post, but you should also mature and have some wisdom and uh enjoy living, listen, a private, full life. And just post a little here and there. Uh in all things there should be moderation. Because what what is the what are you why? What what is the what's the why are you doing it? What what is it in us that has to be liked and validated? We will say all day that's not what we're doing, and that's not what everybody's doing. And I'm not gonna say that over and over. Y'all follow me, right? But some pe some of us need to be validated. It's pride, it's ego. The world will never know. Anitra, me, all of my wins. Why? The world don't love me. Why do I need to feed the world and share with the world all my wins and the world does not love me? I share my wins with my circle. You need a healthy circle of friends, family, cousins, parents, children, you know what I mean? That you can share your life with your successes with your ups and your downs. And I'm talking more about wins today because that's what what you know, we tend to put that stuff out there and then pretend like we not bragging, but we really bragging. Right? Okay, well, you don't have enough people around you telling you good job, you the bomb, um, you know how we talk to each other, girl, you know, high five to you. I'm on my way to see what you got. We celebrate each other. No jealousy, no competent, no competing. I'm I'm with you. And we do that for each other, right? We want to see each other win and succeed, right? That's what my circle is for. I don't need the world for that. Because the world don't know me, the world don't love me. They might heart something, but that, okay, that's not love. Some people, it inspires them, but again, when it's done in moderation, if I every day I'm posting this and that and my handbag and my this and my that, my car, my my account, my this, my home, uh, whatever I got going on, right? Every time I what I I can go on and on, right? Then eventually people like, well, wow, they no longer inspired by you. Now they feel like you got something to prove. Now I'm not talking about people whose full-time job is uh content creators. That's some of these people, that's their stream of income. And even those people are not sharing their entire lives. We're only seeing a fraction of their lives, some of these people that come up on our feed in our algorithms. We're not seeing their whole lives. For example, there's one one young woman, she's in her 20s, she pops up on my algorithm. She does a lot of skincare and stuff like that, and she caters more to like the women in their 20s. Um, she's very like girly and a lot of personality. She's funny, you know, she she's really good. So she draws you in, right, with her content creation, a lot of personality behind the brand, right? But she also has a husband. We rarely see the husband. She's not posting her whole life. He's in probably 10% of her post. If that, this is her business, it's her job. So, yes, she's posting every day, but not in this same manner, right? Some of us are posting every day because we want attention. We want our um our pride needs to be fed, our egos need to be stroked. That's God is not in that. When we have accumulated some things and opportunities and doors that have been opened for us, um it comes with a lot of responsibility, to whom much is given, much is required. There's a responsibility that comes with that for those that are God-fearing people and believers and those that that want to grow in their faith, and that we handle that responsibly, responsibly, responsible with responsibility and ethically. Right? We are re we're responsible in how we handle the blessings of God and the things that He's allowed us to acquire is not for us to brag and to taunt others and to um just just um all these ill reasons, even if we say that's not what we're doing. Listen, the scripture says I'm paraphrasing, the heart is desperately wicked and deceitful above all things. You have to really search your heart and ask yourself, why am I doing what I'm doing? Because patterns don't lie. Behavior speaks louder than words, action speaks louder than words. So you can say, we can say, I'm not, I don't have no pride, I'm not doing this for attention, and and I'm this is not my ego. But what is your behavior saying? What is the pattern showing? What is the caption displaying? Is it matching what what you saying your motive is? And it takes a real sincere self-examination to really get to the root of where you are in life. And so listen, get you a healthy circle that can celebrate with you. Because those same people, if it's a healthy circle, is also going to tell you when you're getting puffed up and when you're doing too much, and tell you when you need to chill. Because it's just stuff. We can't take stuff with us. Everything is fleeting, even people come in and out of our lives, let alone, let alone money and this and that and the other, especially when we don't um have um ethical principles and character um and and you know, all those things that come with it, right? That um that that you need to maintain it. I'll say it that way, don't come with it. But that that you that you want to have with it the character, right? And furthermore, when we leave this earth, you can't take none of it with you. So it doesn't make you who you really are. What makes us who we really are is our character, our heart position, our behavior, right? How we live our life, um, not not the things that we accumulate in this life, how we treat people, right? And so I was just having this whole conversation in my head as I was driving down the street about zip it. We need to just be quiet. Just learn how to be quiet again. Pull back. Hush, sis, this okay?

unknown 11:30

Shh.

SPEAKER_00 11:33

Chill. It's all right. Live your life in private. There's power in privacy. Enjoy your life. Take that phrase with you. There's power in privacy. You know, some of the celebrities are even catching on to the fact that y'all know how they'll be married one day in love or even dating, and then the paparazzi show them on the beach, and they so in love and kissing and PDA and all this stuff, and the next thing you know, he's with somebody else, or she's with somebody else. It didn't work out. You know, so they even learning now, some of them. I've heard them say some of them, though. I'm gonna I'm not posting no more of my romantic relationships because it's stuff, it ain't lasting, and then they looking crazy. Right? They're even learning some privacy, some discrete, some, some to be discreet, um, to not overshare their lives with the world. Right? Okay, it's part of their job that they're kind, they're out there, parts of their lives are supposed to be exposed to the world, but that don't mean it has to be their entire life. They some and then some of them because of have crazy people coming dropping, jumping over the secure gates. We have to understand the power of privacy. Everybody don't need to know uh where I live, what's in my home, what kind of cars I have. No. Enjoy your successes in private, enjoy your blessings in private with the people that do love you, not with the world or people from a distance that say they're your friend, but really they're envious. And guess what? You play a role in it because you're feeding them. You're feeding them all of this information, too much information about you. It's not their business. You're feeding that insecure place in them. You're being irresponsible. You are being irresponsible by feeding their insecurities. I know we don't want to take any responsibility for the other side, but I know I'm right. We I'm not even gonna debate. I know what I'm saying is right. We we play a role in that. We play a role in that. This was what really blew my mind, y'all. So I'm having this whole conversation, excuse me, that I'm sharing with y'all now. I get home, this was happening in the car. I get home, it was either that night or the next morning, and I hear Hezekiah. I go look up Hezekiah. I had not read or studied about King Hezekiah quite some cut time. I go look him up in my Bible. I begin to read all about Hezekiah. He shows up in 2 Kings Chronicles in the book of Isaiah. So I'm reading, reading, reading. You know, King Hezekiah was different. He was a man after God's heart. Um, he tore down groves and did all these great things. Um, the uh king comes against him, begins to taunt him and his people, writes a letter about how he's gonna destroy him and his people, tells his people, don't believe King Hezekiah about that God is gonna save y'all because look at our track record. We done ruined and destroyed all these other kingdoms and y'all next. King Hezekiah takes the letter before God in prayer. God lets Hezekiah know, no, you're gonna get the victory, right? Then the story goes on. King Hezekiah gets ill. God tells him, uh, I believe he used the king, um used prophet as Isaiah to tell him, get your house in order, you're gonna die. Um Hezekiah turns um to God in prayer, and God asks 15 years to King Hezekiah's life. Wonderful, blessed life. This man was blessed. King Hezekiah has all these riches. Um, he's a wealthy man, he's a wise man, he served God, right? Then the king of Babylon hears about how King Hezekiah's got the victory and the God has healed his body and all these things. And the king of Babylon tells him, I'm gonna come see you. We're coming to see you like he's inquiring from um um a concerned or compassionate way, right? He goes to see King Hezekiah and he tells King Hezekiah, let me see what's in your house. King Hezekiah proceeds to show the king of Babylon, y'all, everything that's in his home. The scripture it lists like everything he shows him, all the gold, all the silver, all the riches. He shows the man everything, y'all, in his house. Now I'm reading this text. Imagine this, y'all. I'm reading this text, the scriptures, and just literally, I can't remember if it was earlier that day or the day before, but it was within 24 hours of me having this whole conversation in my head about zip it. I'm reading this, the scripture that goes with what I had what had came to me in the in the vehicle. So I'm like, wow, right? So I'm reading this. He shows the king everything, the king of Babylon. Yeah, I mean, no, no privacy, no, well, I ain't gonna show him the gold. He he shows him everything. I mean, everything. Isaiah comes after the king of Babylon leaves and asks Hezekiah, what did you do? Why? What did you show him? He just asked him, What did you show him? King Hezekiah says, literally says the words, everything. I showed him everything. Yeah. Isaiah tells him, well, since you showed him everything, and I'm paraphrasing, now you've bought basically uh warfare into your home. Not many years hence, you that you're gonna be robbed, your king, this is gonna be overthrown, they're gonna come and get all this stuff out of your house because you've exposed everything you have to them. Oversharing will backfire on you. You don't expose all of your wins and everything going on in your life. And and it why? Again, with with people who you think are they disheartened or they they just want to see. No, it's unwise. It completely backfired on King Hezekiah, and not only King Hezekiah, the generation under him paid for it, after him paid for it. They were the ones that actually end up being the generation that got robbed and overthrown when the king of Babylon came back. So you're oversharing, your uh inability to zip it and hush is not only your suffering from that, but the people behind you, your children, they're suffering behind it too. We need to pull back, y'all. Just stop, be quiet. Privacy is powerful, it's wise. The scripture says, study to be quiet. Be quiet. There was another verse that I found as I was because I'm again this is in 2 Kings Chronicles and Isaiah, so I was jumping reading so I could get the full picture of Hezekiah's life. And and some of it, the text is repeating itself from these different um writers, right? And I believe in the book of Isaiah, when he tells the story, um, he says that is a verse that where he says that God, when the king of Babylon was coming, I'm paraphrasing, God basically didn't say a word to Hezekiah because God could have warned Hezekiah to say, don't show the king of Babylon anything. Or Hezekiah, don't open him up into your home, don't let him in, whatever. The scripture says God didn't say anything because he wanted to see what was in Hezekiah's heart. So what is what all of your sharing and posting and and and etc. is showing what's in your heart. Pride, the need to be validated. This exposed Hezekiah's pride that he wanted to boast and share about all his riches and his blessings, and really the enemy was gathering information. And it's the same thing that's happening today, y'all. We put it all out there in the world, on social media, run our mouths too much, and the enemy is just gathering information because we don't know how to keep our mouths and our fingertips to ourselves. Everything don't need to be said, shared, or spread. So, listen, I just want to give you some wisdom today. I really do. I felt really inspired to share this podcast. My pat my platform is all about growth. Um and more so directed to women in growth, but men too, but very much some audience is targeted towards women, um, young women, older women, that we are we grow and that we are wise women. And you know, I want to challenge you to pull back for a season. If you are, excuse me, or a person that's been over-sharing. I challenge you to pull back. Draw the curtains in, honey. Um, put the phone down, pull back on the posting, go on a hiatus, six months, nine months, twelve months of your posting and your sharing, and do some self-examination, some self-reflecting. Get your house in order, get your heart in order. You can't do that overnight. You can't do that with all the noise. You can't do that constantly engaging with outsiders and and constantly feeding that piece of you, your lower nature, your chronoside. You can't you can't do that. Pull back. I challenge you to step back and really examine, do some self-examination and and some deep work, and then when you come back out, come back out with wisdom and moderation. And and and some changes, right, into what you share and what you say. We ought to see. Uh, I would love to see in some cases, we need to see two different people, two different people, right? And then enjoy your life in private, enjoy your family, enjoy your circle, and live your life. So I hope this encourages y'all. I'm gonna leave you with that challenge. I'm gonna leave you to eat on that, to think on that. Go back and listen to this again, share with somebody you love, be encouraged, y'all. Um, and I I hope this blessed you. And we will talk soon. Have a great day, a fantastic week, and um, I love you.