How To Find Your True Voice

I just came across the below post and wanted to share with you.  In the article Martha Beck talks about the inner struggle between the “social, logical, status quo” voice and the “liberating, innovative, spontaneous” voice.  We all have at least those two voices.

The first voice we ever heard is the creative and innovative voice.  That voice is uniquely ours.  It is our own way of being and interpreting the world.  Sometimes this voice jives with society and sometimes it doesn’t.  But it is uniquely ours and it doesn’t care about being accepted.  Its mission is our contentment and happiness.

The second voice – logical – we start acquiring as we grow. It is the voice we internalize from peers, teachers, parents, and relationships.  It is the voice of our society.  This voice is more concerned in fitting in and doing things by the book.  Because most people listen mostly to this kind of voice we feel the pressure to join in and in the end we feel safe.  The feeling of safety – even though when put to test proves not to be true – comes from us acting and being a member of a large group that obey and live by the same rules.

But it is the first voice that can make life an exciting and ever changing journey.  It is the first voice the one that truly knows us and exists to seek out our contentment.

So how do we find this first voice again?  And how do we learn to listen to it?

The voice that judges and tells you non-stop “YOU SHOULD XYX” is not the voice you want to hear. The voice you want to listen to is the one who tells you “WHY NOT?”  Why not try to really have faith in yourself and your abilities?

For example, if you are a girl, why not try to risk asking the guy out?  It could lead to love. We shouldn’t care if we are taught that men should be doing the asking.  Why not believe we can accomplish a certain something even though there are no proofs that we can, except for our gut feeling?  What could be the worst thing to happen?

The second voice the “should” is a loud voice.  It needs to be loud because it often has no further veracity beyond its initial statement.

The first voice is soft.  It doesn’t need to admonish because it is there to guide us to surprises and to lead us to contentment.

Next time you hear “YOU SHOULD…” ask the other voice what it thinks.  Let your intuition guide you.  The more you learn to quiet down the loud voice the more you will learn to listen to you own true voice.

Take risks. Life happens quickly.  Why not make the most of it? Why not experience, learn and love as much as possible? Sometimes the true path is not the one that’s been travelled before.

How To Tune In To The Voice Within

By Martha Beck

This very day, two individuals are vying to be your personal adviser. The first, whose name is Fang, dresses in immaculate business attire, carries a briefcase full of neatly organized folders, and answers all e-mails instantly, via BlackBerry. In a loud, clear, authoritative voice, Fang delivers strong opinions about how you should manage your time. Fang’s résumé is impressive: fantastic education, experience to burn.

The other candidate, Buddy, wears shorts, a tank top, and a rose tattoo…Continued