In a World of Noise, What is it to Have a Voice?

Applying self-awareness and intention when deciding what to say and why.

Hello, my loves...

How's everyone doing out there? As for me, I've been trying to write this for more than 4 weeks. I just haven't been able to do it.

It's not for a lack of things to say - I always have things to say. ;)

It's just that the world around us is so noisy all the time.

We are continuously being bombarded with news, and advertisements, and announcements, and information, and memes, and statements, and random notifications, and content, and content, and content, and coooooonteeeeeeeeeeeent.

Content that is created for the sake of itself in a culture that insists we live in an unending state of doing and making.

Content that is created for the sake of keeping us in a state of frenzied fear, distraction and division, for the sake of ensuring that we continue to doubt ourselves and each other...all so that we keep scrolling, keep clicking, keep engaging.

Content that is created for the sake of generating a false sense of urgency so that we continue to purchase things that deplete us and our resources under the ruse that "we must keep the economy going!"

Content that is created to ensure we are seen, and heard, and appreciated, and promoted, and loved thus it is proven that "I am good enough!!"

Content that takes us deeper into a false sense of connection behind glowing screens with people across the globe...while at the same time taking us further and further away from ourselves, from our bodies, from our hearts, from our inner knowing of what is real and right and good and true...from the people who are with us in this time, space and place...right here and right now.

For me, after a while, it all feels like too much.

It weighs me down. Makes my brain and my heart feel sluggish and I can't process any more information for a while. And...I don't want to contribute to it.

Then (usually very suddenly) I remember that it's all just noise and I can choose what I listen to and what I don't. I can also choose how I listen, what to listen for, and why to listen or not.

Then I remember that I *also* get to choose how I use my voice and decide what I want to say. And I also get to choose *how* to say it, *what* to say it for, and *whether or why* to say it or not.

When I sit down to write these emails, knowing that I will be inserting my voice and energy into your day, I always do my best to make sure that I'm offering something meaningful. Sometimes these emails flow right out in one go. Other times, like now, they take 4 weeks and 17 deleted versions.

Some of the questions that guide me in this work are:

What do I stand for?

Who am I operating in service to?

What impact do I want to have?

What behavior do I want to model?

What valuable perspective can I contribute here?

How do I want people to feel in my spaces?

When is it best to sit back and listen?

In what ways am I hiding or letting myself off the hook too easily? In what ways am I pushing myself too hard?

Here's how I am answering these questions today:

What do I stand for?

That everyone is deserving of unconditional love and to feel safe inside themselves.

That we do not need to remain plugged into systems of deception and depletion. That although leaving these systems behind is difficult at best and seemingly impossible at worst, we can still bring the full force of our intention, integrity and skill to each day to move the needle. That self-awareness and communication are vital elements of this.

Who am I operating in service to?

People who honor me with the gift of their attention.

Those who feel heavy or stuck or somehow know that there is some other golden thing deep inside of them that is desperate to come out.

What impact do I want to have?

That whoever this resonates with will feel less lonely and unsafe and will sense deep within their bones a permission to embody their fullest self within and then practice sharing that same brilliant golden version of themselves with the world around them.

What behavior do I want to model?

Authentic, brave self-expression.

Being seen as who I am and how I am.

Trust in myself and trust in my community.

Trust that whoever needs to see this will.

Trust that whoever wants to leave will do so in alignment with their values and needs and I will wish them love.

What valuable perspective can I contribute here?

That conscious awareness, intention and communication are tools that can be used in every area of life to improve conditions.

That it's ok to feel overwhelmed by the endless stream of information.

That it's ok to choose something else.

That sometimes it takes a long-form email or post to express a complex concept.

That meaningful outcomes require meaningful input.

How do I want people to feel in my spaces?

Safe, nurtured, brave, open.

When is it best to sit back and listen?

When I need more information to fully understand what's going on - inside of me and outside in the world.

When I feel overwhelmed.

When I'm not fully aligned yet with the message.

When supporting others to lift their voices.

In what ways am I hiding or letting myself off the hook too easily?

For this post, I feel pretty exposed, tbh.

I do, however, have a tendency to get to a sticky part of a topic in an email and say 'I'll speak more on that later' and then never circle back around to it.

In what ways am I pushing myself too hard or shouldering responsibility that is not mine?

Business naturally slows down this time of year and I have been pressuring myself to be more consistent in my marketing efforts and this has only contributed to more writer's block and less marketing, which has led me to be very hard on myself for business slowing down.

What's the takeaway here? The punchline? The little literary device bow that ties this all together?

I don't have one. This one is for you to decide, sweet friend.

Am I letting myself off the hook a little too easily by putting it on you? Perhaps. 💁🏼‍♀️

However...

Your voice is yours. It's your gift. It's your responsibility. What do you want to take from all of this?

Imagine the change in the world you can create by giving yourself permission to use your voice and deciding what you want to say. As well as permission to choose how to say it, what to say it for, and whether or why to say it or not.

How will you apply your conscious awareness, intention and communication tools to improve the conditions in your life?

To stand up for what you believe in? To operate in service to the people and values most important to you? To enhance your impact and model thoughtful behaviors? What valuable perspective can you contribute? How do you want people to feel when they are in your spaces? Are you ready to be a better listener? Are you ready to step up and out of hiding?

And are you ready to offer yourself some patience and compassion along the way? ❤️