2009: The Best Year Ever for Your Voice to be Heard (Free call on Jan. 13)
“Fear is the cheapest room in the house. I would like to see you living in better conditions.” – Hafiz
2009 is one of the best years possible to do the work of your heart. In “normal” times there is no urgency or need to go beyond what is known and accepted. In today’s more turbulent times, when you speak in your unique way about what you love, what you believe in, and what you offer, you touch an unnamed longing in people that wakes them up to the value of something that only you can provide. Your authentic and distinct voice can be heard as never before.
And yet, fears about coming hard times has many creative, innovative business owners hunkered down or paralyzed like deer in the headlights, worrying about the marketplace and playing it safe by retreating to offerings that fit neatly within what’s known and accepted.
What if instead you were to step out more boldly and speak more clearly than ever before, not just in spite of, but because of the shifting economy. To trust your unique voice so you’ll stop self-editing based on fear and constriction. To claim a new story about your prospective clients and what they’ll choose to spend money on in 2009?
In a crowded or contracted marketplace, your distinctive voice is more important than ever. It’s your ability to write and speak from the core of your being that allows your words to resonate deeply with your audience and inspire them to invest in what you have to offer.
What your distinctive voice is and how you know when you’ve found it
Your distinctive voice is the words and energy you use when you share your thoughts and ideas without hesitation. It represents your essence when you give yourself full permission to express yourself based on who you are.
You know you’ve found it when you go beyond your comfort zone of facts and information to your Home Zone™ of stories and examples that connect you emotionally, first with yourself, and then with your audience. You feel that connection – it is alive!
The two fundamentals that will simplify your decisions and amplify your results in 2009
Your Original Medicine. It is an indigenous teaching that we come into the world with gifts and talents, nowhere else duplicated. If you do not express these gifts, they are lost to the world for all time. When you know and claim your original medicine, you will not shrink or hold back your voice.
Questions:
1. When I feel safe and un-judged, what part of me is expressed that I love about myself?
2. Are you expressing that quality in your speaking and writing?
3. If not, what is holding you back?
Your Core Message
What is the message you must communicate, no matter what?
Once your medicine and message are clear to you, your decisions are simplified because you know what to say yes to and what to say no to. Your work is amplified because you become known for something you love to do, which builds your energy to want to speak out more.
The four reasons your distinctive voice is vital to the growth of your work in the world
1. You stand out from the crowd and become known for what matters to you.
2. You create a deeper connection and resonance with your audience, which creates an urgency that fear-based, limited-time offers do not.
3. You have more confidence and energy to step out.
4. You more easily find your tribe and the collaborations that move you ahead based on mutual respect and unique contribution.
The six principles of writing and speaking to assure you are heard
1. To touch and move people, be willing to be vulnerable. Let go of playing it safe.
2. To command attention, ground your message in your unique experience and point of view.
3. Plant your flag. Go public and take a stand for something important.
4. Show the promise of a new story.* Go beyond solving problems to demonstrate what is possible.
5. Focus your efforts on those who are already primed to hear you. (Reference: Power vs. Force by David Hawkins)
6. Know that when you take the time to do the deep work of exploring your medicine and your message and crafting it so others hear you, you step into a new level of service to others.
Here’s Gail’s “new story” for 2009: This time of destructuring of our economy and revelation of greed and deception at the highest levels is the caldron of change that will lead to transformation of that which does not serve the greater good. Those who have been following their callings with integrity and vision will be heard. The work of our lifetimes will converge to place us in the right place at the right time. The language of the heart will be spoken and listened to with respect. We will give voice to the unnamed longing within people for which they have been unable to find words. We will tell the stories that show us a new way. We’ll confirm that we are the ones we have been waiting for.
