Sometimes I find myself expressing opinions so I don't "lose" myself. At least at work (where I seem to spend a pretty substantial amount of time) I'm surrounded by the conservative, old white male network. I sometimes voice my opinion so they KNOW I'm different, so they stop assuming that I'll just adopt their opinion, and so I remind myself that these aren't my values. When we have disagreements I rarely win, but it makes me feel better (and I feel less like I "lost" when decisions don't go my way) if I make sure that I've expressed my opinion. Other times I'll express my opinion (at least when we're making decisions) because I feel very vehement about something and I feel that change is a process and it can't start if I don't at least speak up. While I might lose the point, the next time the discussion is a little bit easier and eventually I might win.