BLOG: Because someday you will have to use it
On a gray winter day, a petite woman stood outside to tell her story before a mass of 26,000 people.
She was standing on the side of a hill, in the middle of a town, on land that used to belong to her people. As she stood, she was grounded by a deep understanding of who she was, her roots, and her passion.
Her father was a journalist, charged with informing, educating, and guiding the community. He stood before this community to tell its collective story, and showed his girl the way.
Over the years, he gave her every opportunity to use her voice.
In an era when women were silenced and children were to be seen and not heard, her father fostered her ability to use her voice, Because, he told her, someday you will have to use it.
Someday, you will have to use it.
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Most of us will not stand before a crowd of 26,000 people to tell our own story.
But each of us will have to stand before someone and use our voice.
We will inevitably be called to stand up for ourselves, our rights, and our boundaries or those of others.
We will inevitably be called to stand up to a person who has done us wrong, to one in a position of power, to one whom we respect.
It is not an easy thing, but this woman has provided a most powerful guide:
1. Know precisely what you stand for. Get to the root of the need. Our most basic needs are safety, love, and freedom. At the core, you are standing up for one of these, and this knowledge will generate a positive energy that will ground and sustain you.
2. Practice. Practice. Practice. Start small, go all out, or something in between. Using your voice is a muscle that will get stronger with use. Know that in the beginning your voice will shake. Your body may shake. But the true definition of courage is action in the face of fear. Simply practice and continue to practice.
3. Remember who you want to be. Several weeks ago, I suggested you go through the exercise of deciding who you were going to be this year. It may or may not have changed in the ensuing weeks. Perhaps you didn't nail anything down. Now is the time to firm up this concept, because it will provide the backbone for the process.
In my coaching practice, I find that the ability to use one's voice is a lynchpin. Without it, the wheels begin to fall off our lives. We become exhausted, overwhelmed, and eventually burn out.
Once we start to hone this skill, we begin to gain back our energy, confidence, and ease. Moreover our lives become more meaningful and impactful.
So, enjoy the practice.
Or if you're interested in working with me personally, set up a quick call. We will figure out what you need and how to get you there.
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