No one else has had the same sequence of actions and reactions that have created your life and your realm of understanding. No one right now is thinking exactly like you do. You may, to the naked observer, appear to fit into a category, but that category most certainly does not define you. The only quality you share with every other human in the world is your personal understanding that you are just unique enough to operate independently, and just similar enough to others to, in turn, recognize this uniqueness in them.
~Unknown
The path to finding your unique voice is filled with questions and uncertainty. Is it possible to truly know who we are? Do our lives have a purpose, or are we just accidental? What are we meant to contribute? What are we meant to become, to create, and to share? The first step toward understanding is to question and doubt all that we have been taught to believe. All our lives we’ve been handed so-called truths by countless others—beliefs we learned to accept without reason. It is only in questioning our beliefs, assumptions, and prejudices that we can begin to uncover our own unique voice and heal the divisions within us and without.
Life has an interesting way of giving us keys to uncovering our divine direction and life purpose. The wide spectrum of experiences — the good, the not-so-good, and the awful — create paths to our self-discovery. In our willingness to dig deeper into the well of understanding ourselves, and our inner wisdom, we create a unique platform, thus giving us permission to activate and release our highest and best for the greater good wherever we are.
Once we discover our voice, we can embrace all aspects of the human experience—from the earthy, pleasure-loving qualities that characterize Zorba the Greek to the watchful, silent qualities of Gautam the Buddha. We can become whole and live with integrity, able to respond with creativity and compassion to the religious, political, and cultural divides that currently plague our society.
Join us to discover your unique voice on our Friendship Bench and then discover your deeper voice within our Salon 360°. Because your voice matters …
https://www.bizcatalyst360.com/chaos-to-clarity-take-your-seat-on-our-friendship-bench/
Find your voice. Shout it from the rooftops. And keep doing it until the people that are looking for you find you.
~ Dan Harmon
I suspect there is only a small percentage of people that can/do step back from life, take a deep breath and really examine their lives, attitudes, beliefs, and programing. It isn’t easy to do it honestly, it isn’t even fun. But, it is essential and it should be done more than once. It gets easier with practice. Whithout that we usually find ourselves living in quiet desperation.
Love this! Charles is so inspirational and I could relate to his story through my own life discovery journey. Thank you for sharing and for your always and forever encouragement for others to be a shining light in the darkness within their own uniqueness and personal power. Cheers! Eileen
“There is always light, if only we’re brave enough to see it. If only we’re brave enough to be it” … thank you, my friend!
Dennis, this one statement is truly the FIRST step: “It is only in questioning our beliefs, assumptions, and prejudices that we can begin to uncover our own unique voice and heal the divisions within us and without.” Sometimes we have to literally tear the walls down and then sit with the empty canvas. Sometimes in the silence I ask the question “what is mine to do?”…. and in time the answer appears.
This I know is my voice, my truth and my purpose. #findingmyway
Always appreciate your thoughtful perspectives and wisdom shared, Carolyn. It’s time for us all to simply step back, exhale and move forward with our (respectful) voice – a long-overdue first step for many, but such an important one if we truly expect to create positive ripples of change. One person. One voice. One conversation at a time.
Hi, Dennis, and thanks for the pathway.
I’ve never met someone who didn’t have some crap in their lives (trauma like losing a favorite relative or pet, but also the message from an art teacher that “that doesn’t look anything like a giraffe” or a report card which brands us with “does not work up to his/her ability) that still lives in their skin. So these messages resonate throughout our lives. We push them down, so they remain part of our programming, or we face them, then make a pact to embrace them and take away their corrosive power.
Don’t walk, dance.
Don’t talk, sing.
Don’t think about living, live.
Mac
Love the notion of “taking away their corrosive power” Mac, as we all have so many of those messages that get in the way of discovering the real “us” and our authentic voice. Grateful for your insights…