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I'm very afraid that most of us are slowly becoming dull and boring. Mind you, we aren't naturally boring, we're just becoming that way intentionally, through great effort.

I can hear you thinking right now, "You're kidding! Right?"

No, I'm deadly serious. I have irrefutable proof this is happening, and I'm willing to take just a few moments of your valuable time to prove this to you.

My theory works like this: We live in an age when society has developed ever stricter "rules" for what is acceptable. This not only applies to our actions, but also to what we say and even what we admit to thinking.

Our self-censorship is particularly advancing in the areas of sexuality, politics, and social commentary. Thanks to a myriad of special interest groups who preach constantly on TV, most of us have become afraid to really express our ideas and feelings on a number of fronts previously thought essential to human discourse.

Say what you think about politics and you may be ostracized by your friends and even persecuted by your government. Let your real feelings about sexuality out and you may find your photo on a police web site and your neighbors demanding you move.

Or at least that's what we THINK will happen if we express ourselves. The truth lies somewhere else. I'm willing to bet you can say just about anything you please and most of the people in the room will find your words creative, entertaining, thought provoking, and incredibly fresh.

You see, the world is not nearly as staid and button-down as we think. If you have a wild thought, you can bet many others are thinking the same thing.

This may not be what your mother taught you, but RESIST watching your tongue. We have entirely too much self-censorship these days. Let your thoughts, creativity, and especially your expression fly, even if it flies in the face of what you believe to be mainstream thought and power.

Not only will YOU be a much more interesting person, but your ideas will bring joy, humor, emotion, and deeper inspiration to those around you. You'll be a more exciting person, AND our culture will benefit from your willingness to "tell it like it is."