Thoughts On Finding Your Voice

When I was a girl, my daddy used to tell people that I had a high daily word quota. It was his loving way of saying that I talked a lot. And I did. I suppose I still do in the right circumstances, but being the one doing all the talking gets old after awhile. I learned it was far better to be quiet, to listen. The stories people share deepen when you listen, not just to what they are saying, but what they aren’t saying. In the quiet, I learned that words only mean something when they have depth. Now I lend my overabundance of words to others, guiding you in finding your voice so that when the world is talking, they can be the ones actually saying something.

I wanted to quit…

Two years ago, I was going to quit. Social media that is. We have this amazing platform to share our art, a place to showcase the avenues in which we pour our souls, but instead, we post a picture and beg the world to tell us we are pretty. It feels like a one-sided conversation. Small talk. And I hate small talk!

Throwing my work up onto a social platform with hope people liked it enough to engage didn’t feel authentic. There was the waiting on the comments and likes. Hoping it was good enough. Comparing myself to everyone else on the app….it didin’t feel good anymore.

It’s Not About Me

I figure out the problem. What I was sharing was all about me, not my audience. We have all had that friend, the one that needs to be told she is pretty, that one that cuts herself down so you build her back up, whose self worth is wrapped up in what the world thinks of her. We all tire of her after awhile. I didn’t want to be that friend any more, instead, I wanted to SAY something. To encourage others with my words, and to show others how to do the same.

Getting started wasn’t easy. I had this voice in my head whispering “But I don’t have enough followers. I am not good enough. Other people have already said it…”

There is always a reason not to…

Here’s the things friends, you will always have reasons not to, but the reasons TO are why you do it. To use your work to say something that matters. To use your business to influence others. To encourage. To grow. To build a following. To bring a community together. And that is just the surface.

Finding your voice to communicate effectively

I started writing in an effort to use my words effectively, and along the way it led to the opportunity to help others learn to use theirs. You have a purpose, a vision, a message. Get it out there! Sure, it might be rough to start. It will certainly take longer than typing that caption “swoon!” with a little heart emoji beside it, but it will say something. That’s the beauty in finding your voice! Share your heart, be vulnerable, be BRAVE. Being honest with your words takes guts my friend, but you had them when you started your business. It took guts to take your art, your craft and make it available to the masses, so dig deep and use ’em again to share about who you are and what you believe.

Let’s do this!

Updated: Here is a link to some helpful tips on finding your brand voice that I added recently!