Your Voice Holds the Power to Serve
“Who knows, your words may provide an opening, a portal, to someone else’s voice.”
Image Credit- EWF International
Nowadays, with a plethora of media platforms and outlets that allow anyone and everyone to express their opinions, it’s easy to feel like your voice will be lost or drowned in the sea of words, opinions and perspectives.
I know a thing or two about feeling like my voice won’t matter or have an audience. Casting my voice into the world has not always come easy. In fact, it was a big struggle.
Many years ago, I was completing a class for my master’s degree in organizational development. Always the consciousness student, I aced the exams and essay papers. I showed up on time and regularly sat in the back of the classroom, this way the instructor couldn’t make eye contact with me or sway me to join the group discussion. At the time, I feared saying anything in class. The narrative in my head was, “What do I have to contribute? They won’t listen to me. Who am I to offer a perspective?” Coaches often call this the voice of the Gremlin, the Saboteur, ready to cast doubt about our worth and ability.
I made it a practice to repress my voice. Why? That’s another story altogether. Since then, I have found the courage and curiosity to look under the hood of my shadow where we hide things. But at this moment in time, I stayed under the radar and didn’t speak much in group settings, until the last day of class.
The students began a spirited discussion about one of the assigned chapters which I read and had some thoughts and observations. Since it was the last day of class and our final paper was due in another week, I thought to myself, I’m never going to see these people again. Why not take a risk and speak up, share my views? So I did, and quite passionately. I even moved closer to the front of the room as the conversation became heated. I recall my view was opposite from the majority, but I defended my position with relevant examples and challenging questions.
My instructor reveled in watching us debate the various viewpoints. She looked at me as if to say, “Who is this person? Where has she been all semester? How come we never heard from her until now?” I left class feeling confident and expansive inside. Like a dam, a door had opened inside me. A voice unleashed; the volume turned up. You see, all along I had been talking to myself inside my head about my perspectives and opinions and I even jotted these insights in my journal. But no one ever benefited from them except me.
As I prepared my final paper, I wrote a comprehensive essay relating to the coursework. It was an excellent paper, of which I was extremely proud. A few weeks later, I received my final paper with a note from my instructor. The note went something like this: “Where the hell have you been all semester!!?? Why did you hold back your views until the last class? You did us all a disservice by not sharing your contribution.” Whew! Catching my breath while reading her note. She continued, “You’ve demonstrated your ability to produce excellent work; normally I’d grade your paper as an A but instead I’m degrading it to an A- because you did your classmates a disservice by not sharing your views.” Bam! Although those weren’t her exact words, the impact of that experience jolted me and never left me to this day. It was worth the lower grade!
That day I learned a powerful, transformative lesson. I can never go back to repressing my voice. Much like a butterfly can never return to being a caterpillar. Since then I’ve used my voice in many ways and roles. I started multiple small businesses focused on helping women discover their voice, their story, their song.
Image Credit- TIME.com
Today I coach leaders on discovering and giving volume to their voice. I facilitate workshops, retreats, and deliver keynotes on topics I care about such as social justice, equity, faith, and living authentically.
Sharing your contributions, insights, lessons, and opinions is bigger than you. Someone else can benefit from them. Giving voice to the stirrings and words in your soul is a bit like letting your light shine. Who knows, your words may provide an opening, a portal, to someone else’s voice. It may offer guidance or healing to someone hurting or stuck.
You might ask, “How will I know when I’ve found my voice?”
Well, you’ll know. Your voice will find you and it will sound like a familiar song, waiting to be sung.
