Be a voice, not an echo. Einstein

What does ‘being a voice’ mean to you? 

For me, it’s about getting out there to speak your truth, share your story and convey your message – not waiting for others to get there first. 

What do you feel strongly about enough to speak out about? What’s been your experience of life that others would benefit from hearing?  

When are you more comfortable being an echo, happy to go along with the opinions of others? 

To be original on every single issue would be exhausting and maybe even impossible. Being a voice requires time for thought and consideration. Save your energy and focus for the things that are really important to you. 

Perhaps it’s also about not taking ‘no’ for an answer. If someone tells you that you can’t do something, you have a choice on whether you listen to them.  You don't always have to take up other people's rules and opinions. You can live your life according to your own rules and values rather than someone else’s. 

What’s your story about living life to your own rules, and who else might benefit from hearing about that? 

Maybe you hold back from being a voice because you perceive there to be others already sharing stories similar to yours. Maybe you perceive those others to be so much better, so much more confident, or so much more successful than you so you remain as their echo. 

But what if you knew that someone somewhere needed to hear that story from you, in your voice, in the way that you experienced it, told in your words? Would that be enough to persuade you to become a voice? 

Be confident in who you really are and know that you and your story are unique. 

Even if someone else conveys a similar message to yours so eloquently and sums up everything you would want to say on a subject so succinctly, there is still great value in your sharing your unique perspective on it too, to help get the core message across even more powerfully. 

Thanks for reading this piece. If it’s piqued your interest and inspired you to start sharing your voice, you might find it useful to check out my free resources to help you. You can download them now.

Rachel Maunder is a communication skills and speaker coach and professional speaker.

She has been in the world of competent communication, in different guises, for more than 30 years so has a wealth of knowledge, experience and expertise to pass on to her clients, both through her signature programmes and her own presentations.

You can find out more about her coaching programmes here and about her speaking topics here.