More than one and a half billion websites. Five hundred million blog sites. Two million blog posts every day.
Yet I still say your voice matters. Why? When there are so many voices, why is it important to add yours?
Because you never know when someone will benefit from what you have to say. The work you do, the life you have lived, the thoughts you have can all count from someone. By expressing your genuine voice, you can have an impact.
Creative work is not a selfish act or a bid for attention on the part of the actor. It’s a gift to the world and every being in it. Don’t cheat us of your contribution. Give us what you’ve got. Steven Pressfield
In his book, ‘The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks & Win Your Inner Creative Battles’, Pressfield wasn’t just talking to novelists and screenwriters. His powerful message was aimed at anyone who ‘creates’, who brings something into existence. Like this article. Like your articles, your presentations, or any way you add your voice to the discourse.
Don’t cheat us of your contribution. Give us what you’ve got. Pressfield
I was humbled recently when I was told, ‘I spoke up at a conference because of your newsletters and the way you showed me that my voice matters.’ She reads my articles on a regular basis and over the past few months, she’s internalised the consistent message – it’s important to use your authentic voice.
Her voice does matter. Yours, and mine, too.
Our voices can cause ripple effects far beyond what we can anticipate or ever know about.
It’s not just what we say that makes a difference. Simply the act of expressing our real voice can be inspiration for others who follow our work and think, ‘If she can, maybe I can too.’ How brilliant is that? Somebody like you who feels brave enough to try out their own voice because they’ve heard yours…
After spending a large part of my career in television news and current affairs, I know all too well how desperately we need diversity of voices in the public space. We need your voice and we need the voices you will inspire.
There’s another, equally powerful reason to unleash your voice – you need to do it for your own sake.
Our need to express ourselves, to share our knowledge and experiences and insights, as well as what we wonder about and what bothers us – this is a need that can eat away at us if we don’t heed its call.
Most of us have two lives. The life we live, and the unlived life within us. Between the two stands Resistance. Steven Pressfield
The bad news is that resistance will kick in on a regular basis. And the badder news is that it doesn’t matter how experienced we become, how many accolades we collect, how accomplished we begin to feel – resistance will keep kicking in questioning what we’re doing, whether it’s worth it, whether our voice matters.
The good news is that resistance can be sidelined when we recognise that it’s our own mindset trying to hold us back, and instead turn our attention to doing the work over and over and over.
In the end, every day, it is doing the work that will allow us to push aside resistance and reach into our real voice.
Don’t cheat us of your contribution. Give us what you’ve got.
