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7 Steps to Finding Your Voice

Often we believe that time or money are the impediments for fulfilling our dreams or finding our voice, but in reality we fear we will not live up to our vision or, worse, THAT WE WILL. So take baby steps. Start where you are, and give yourself permission to speak from your heart.
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People often ask me how they can tell if the "voice" they hear during meditation is the divine whisper of the universe or simply their ego. So often we drive ourselves crazy over where the voice is coming from, or with such maddening questions as, "Whose voice is it anyway?" "Is it my authentic voice?" and "How can I let my voice be heard through the choir of voices that surround me each day?"

To me, these feel like distractions in the true quest to unveil our voice.

I believe there are many paths to oneness, and certainly many paths to finding your voice in a given moment. So many of us live lives of quiet desperation -- deferring our dreams or using the excuses of time, money or others as why we aren't expressing our unique gifts or our special talents.

To cut through the swirl, so you can most effectively find your voice, here are seven steps to help guide you. Use one, all, or any combination of the seven to spark your voice:

  1. Accept that you have a unique and special voice that is overflowing with possibilities. As the divine universe sweeps into you with each breath, give permission to the four unique parts of your being -- your mind, body, heart and spirit. Open these magnificent gifts and see how they can be applied to your life right now.

  • Regularly spend time in stillness and silence. At least 15 minutes each day so you can quiet the fluctuations of your mind and ease the emotional turbulence in your life. From that stillness, the answers will come.

  • Cultivate your ability to listen to the world around you. Daily meditation leads to heightened awareness. What angers you? What makes you cry? What gives you hope? What gets you passionate? What gets your motor running? Listen to your emotions throughout the day and feel what moves you.

  • Tap into your passion overlap. Bubbling below our surface, are our own personal desires to love with passion, to live with passion, to learn with passion, and to add value to the moment -- to contribute passionately. So where's your voice? Identify the overlap between those four desires and you'll find the seed of your voice!

  • Get really objective. See yourself from another perspective. Take out your journal and write about yourself in the third person. Look at yourself as you would a character in a book and write about what inspires that person and how they will make a mark on the world. When you've been writing for a bit, flip it around, make the character yourself, and see how your voice unfolds.

  • After you've meditated for a few minutes, place your hand on your heart and ask: "Where am I holding back?" "In what instances am I biting my tongue?" "Where could I speak up a bit more?" "Where could I step into the unknown with a little more power?" "If I knew I could not fail, what would be my baby step?"

  • Find someone who really believes in you. A teacher, a mentor, a confirmer and a coach -- someone who sees your strengths, validates your gifts and supports your dream. Listen to your heart.

    • Often we believe that time or money are the impediments for fulfilling our dreams or finding our voice, but in reality we fear we will not live up to our vision or, worse, THAT WE WILL. So take baby steps. Start where you are, and give yourself permission to speak from your heart. Remember, all the answers rest within. Be gentle and the answers will come from a place of stillness and silence. Then let your voice be heard!

    Learn more about meditation, guided meditation, upcoming events and davidji's coaching services at www.davidji.com.

    Photo Credit: Elizabeth Haslam via Compfight cc

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