Your voice is an offering, a sacred offering. Have you ever thought about it?
It’s crossed my mind a lot lately. Perhaps it’s because many feel compelled to speak, yet are afraid to do so. Still others are even more afraid to sing. Fear of imperfection was sited by one colleague this week. While intolerance and decreased civility when sharing one’s opinions was the focus of another’s comments.
For a moment, I ask you to recognize that physiologically humans shouldn’t be able to sing or speak; but we do. Put simply, humans have two flaps of cartilage stretched over our windpipe and this is how we create sound. Our words, songs, screams and the most sophisticated theories are made by the same mechanism.
Voice is a delicate instrument. It is also incredibly strong. It is a miracle and when used properly, changes lives for the better. The voice of Oprah Winfrey is a great example. Most recently, her speech at the Golden Globe Awards brought inspiration to many as she encouraged a global audience to speak their truth with confidence.
Which leads me to a personal reflection this week.
About six years ago, I met a gifted artist, a painter by trade, with one of the biggest hearts you can imagine. He was quite well known and traveled in famed circles. He is gone from us a year now and yet I still remember the first thing he said to me, “You’re gonna save a lot of lives with the voice, young lady.”
We were at a charity event for an organization we both volunteered with, helping to build bridges in our communities through the arts. Being a voice strategy coach and performer, I knew well the joy of seeing others bloom. Still, he saw beyond. He saw the power and influence I held far better than I ever had.
He was right. I do save lives. I save careers. I save at risk kids. I save fearful adults. I am an alchemist. I research, I study, I experiment on myself, and I use my skills and influence to transform technical material and high level concepts into every day language and situations as a way to spark positive change in others.
I consider my voice to be an offering. A blessed and sacred offering, shared in song, in story, in print, and now more often through video. So is yours.
Those who share the stage with me often notice I go off by myself before the show starts. There, I give thanks for the opportunity to entertain, to brighten someone’s life for a bit and perhaps inspire the next generation of performers, theatergoers and voice teachers.
Take a moment, close your eyes and imagine…
How would you use your voice if you considered it a sacred offering?
Would you raise your voice against injustice?
Would you speak your mind with dignity and respect?
Would you be brave enough to show the world who you really are?
Would you encourage others to do the same?
Would you rise to the occasion when difficult things need to be said?
Would you refuse to dominate the conversation through vocal attack?
How would your life change if you became the empowered voice?
The empowered voice is fiery yet tempered with compassion. The empowered voice maintains respect for its own boundaries and those of others. The empowered voice is effective and persuasive, which is not to be confused with weak or manipulative.
The empowered voice is the voice of the heart speaking its truth with intelligence and courage.
When those who are marginalized are attacked, neglected or ignored, it is the empowered voice that carries the day, moves us forward toward positive change and saves lives well into the future.
What does your empowered voice sound like? Tune in and feel how your voice sounds to yourself and others.
How would your life change if every interaction, in person or online, with family, friends, co-workers and clients, embodied the sacred offering of your empowered voice?
