January 2008
Finding Your Voice
"She found her voice?" the panel moderator stated questioningly. What does that mean? Shouldn't she have found it by this time?
These were the questions posed by moderator after the New Hampshire primary election in the US. Of course he was referring to what the media was saying about Hilary Clinton.
"Finding your voice" has a lot of meanings. It could be taken literally. I get laryngitis occasionally so every time I recover I "find my voice". That is not what people meant here though.
"Finding your voice" in this context, means finding a way to express your ideas so that you connect with others. We all have ideas and thoughts that we feel strongly about.
When people explore those thoughts, feelings, and ideas, they are trying to find their own truth. When they talk about this truth they get excited and wrapped up in what they are saying. In fact they sometimes get emotional about it. That passion is energizing.
Working in an area that allows us to frequently feel that excitement and enthusiasm is what makes a career fulfilling. How many people lose that feeling of passion because they get busy with the day to day tasks of their work?
Perhaps that is what happened to Mrs. Clinton. Day to day campaigning is rigorous. She just needed someone to ask her a question that reminded her of the reasons she was doing it. We all need that at some time in our careers. Some need the reminder more often than others.
I'll speak for myself here and say that I can get so wrapped up in getting things done that I sometimes lose site of the big picture. For the last 4 months I have been working on updating my website. While the website work can be fun and interesting, it isn't the kind of work that I would label my calling.
My website however is important because it provides me a means to engage in that calling. It is through my practice that I have the opportunity to feel that passion as my clients find their own voices either by uncovering a new career or by building their law practice. As I get engrossed in my website I do remind myself frequently of the reason I am doing it.
The other part of the panel moderator's question seemed to imply that you find your voice once when you are young and that is it. He asked, "Shouldn't she have found it by this time?" Some people are lucky enough to find their voices when they are young and continue to express it in their work over their entire lifetime. That does not happen for everyone however. Some people don't find it at all and others find it at different points in their lives. It is never too late to start searching for it. (My Now What? Program is a way to find your voice.)
Sometimes however it may be that you need to rediscover that voice in a new job. There are complexities to "finding your voice". It is not just what you are saying but how you are saying it. You do need to find a way to connect with your listeners.
In the Hilary Clinton example she may have found her voice as a Senator but hadn't quite found it as a candidate for President. There may be different ways to connect to the new larger audience.
How about you? Have you found your voice? If you have, it will allow you to communicate that excitement to clients or potential employers. The fire within you will propel you into a successful practice and/or a fulfilling career.
If you haven't found your voice, here are some ideas to begin to uncover it.
- Values are often important to using your voice. When you speak out of your values, you tend to speak with passion and conviction. Try the TruValues program by re-subscribing to my newsletter. Go to http://www.asparker.com/samples.html and subscribe today. Tomorrow you will receive TruValues in your email.
- Purchase the book Now What? 90 Days to a New Life Direction at Amazon http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/asin/1585424137/parkerassociates and take the quiz at the beginning of the book. It will identify your blocks to finding your voice. Interested in reviewing the quiz with me? For $99 we'll go over the quiz and I'll give you some tips to begin removing the blocks. If you decide to go forward with the Now What? Program, I'll deduct the $99 from the cost of the full 12 weeks of coaching.
- Once you have found your voice and know what you are passionate about,
you will need to know how to present it to others in a way that they will
understand. The DISC behavioral assessment will show you how to do that.
See today's special offer for the details.