Industrialists seek to make whatâs requested, and to do it ever cheaper and faster. But people who have found their voice are able to help us see that life includes more than whatâs requested.
- Seth Godin
I need to find my voice!
So what do I need to say so that people will appreciate my voice?
What qualification do I need to obtain so people will approve me?
How do I need to be so they do not make fun of me?
Phew⌠đ°
Performing.
Conforming.
Fitting in.
Thatâs total B.S.
Improving performance and getting better is something we can build our (successful?) life upon.
Mhm⌠letâs unpack that.
Your mum is pretty accurate when she says you are special and utterly unique. The odds of being born were something like 1 in a 400 trillion. (If you donât believe it, google it.)
The hard part, however, isâŚ
Are you willing to be you? Are you willing to release the handbrake so you can be more you?
Stop performing, conforming and fitting in.
You have an incredible monopoly on you being you.
No one is as good at being you as you.
You are allowed to sound like you.
Because everyone else is already taken.
The need to doing the right thing (and being right) has some adverse effects on us.
Who says what is right or wrong? And in which particular context or situation? An based on which âfactsâ (and fears)?
Why is being judged such a fear trigger?
Why is taking an alternative path such a shame trigger?
And why is it so hard to find your voice when fear, guilt or shame hits?
Isnât easier to just do and make whatâs requested (by the government? by the market demand? for the employer or the customer?). Know that the ego thrives on seeking pleasure or avoiding pain.
Change the game: Act more like an artist.
Art does not have to be perfect.
Art does not have to appeal to a certain group of people.
Art does not have to be proven.
Art is shipped creative work.
Art attracts an audience.
So what would it take to downregulate our inner industrialist and upregulate our inner artist?
1/ Shipping creative work as a continuous practice instead of executing whatâs requested (and making it even cheaper).
2/ Expressing our unique voice while not keeping score in the beginning. Just practice.
3/ Embracing multi-dimensionality and the paradox of right and wrong, perfect and imperfect, scientifically proven or subjectively experienced.
4/ Questioning authority AND ourselves. Critically examining our thoughts and beliefs as well as the systems we are a part of.
Now take intelligent action and experience your R.E.A.L.I.T.Y with new eyes:
R Reveal more
E Expect less & over-deliver
A Appreciate the practice over the outcome
L Look and listen with an open heart
I Interpret with figures and facts, not fear (do your research before!)
T Tell your truth
Y Yes to confronting the truth. No to yes-saying
Okay, yes, Charlize. Thatâs nice. But: How do I find my voice?
When we are driven by fear, weâll struggle to find our voice and ship creative work. We are experiencing reality through threatened eyes.
When we are in a state of trust, weâll experience reality with new eyes.
Because of practising, you will naturally come to realize that perfection and performance erase our ability to connect with other human beings.
Vulnerability is the key.
Vulnerability is not a weakness, itâs a strength.
Note to self: Practise being vulnerable and make a decision. Concentrate on the music and stop trying to be cool!
In that moment care the most, but care the least. Be loose.