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Imposter Syndrome is legit, y’all.
And as I type that, I realize that I would write it but I would never say it. “Y’all” just doesn’t work coming out of my mouth. I’ve tried. Which actually proves my point.
Sometimes I wonder if I spend more time thinking about my voice than I do using it. And as the Director of Elephant Academy and the person involved in the day-to-day running of our Find your Voice course, that can be a challenge.
I need to think about it.
I need to ponder the idea and chew over the meaning. I need to feel the weight of it and sink into the answers. It’s always in the back of my mind.
But thinking about something isn’t the final step.
Imposter Syndrome kicks in when I think too much about my voice and I don’t take the action to use it, to share it, to speak, or write it.
How can I help others find their voices when I’m not sharing my own?
There are so many reasons why we can stop ourselves from sharing our stories with the world. They can range from fear to laziness to time constraints to avoidance to, well, you name it and I’m sure someone has used it as an excuse not to use their voice and write.
(Writers are famous for procrastination, after all.)
I took to our Elephant Journal community and I asked our writers and alumni from our Find your Voice course what their best advice was for someone struggling with sharing their stories with the world.
Their answers made me feel as if I’d landed back on solid ground again. They were honest and true, genuine, and spoken from the heart (and the brain) with just the right feel. Almost with the tough love of nudging a baby bird out of the nest to fly, to soar.
May these words help us all soar. Take what you need and leave the rest. This is your sign to not just uncover your voice, but to use it.
If you are afraid to put your words in print, believe me, there will be growth for you. ~ Bill
Just do it. It takes longer than you think to bring a project to full completion. ~ Anne
Write for yourself, knowing that it will resonate with some and maybe not with others. But that’s OK! ~ Debra
Share it with someone who will give you encouragement and positive feedback, and then in turn share it more widely. ~ Joanna
Just do it. I thought for years that I simply wasn’t good enough. I liked writing for me, but certainly didn’t think my writing was good enough for anyone else to enjoy. I was shocked at the amount of positive feedback I received, and amazed at how many people wrote to me privately to say it resonated with them, or even helped them. When my articles became braver, and I shared them with a wider audience, I started to encounter people who really didn’t like my writing….some didn’t like my style and some didn’t like my views… and someone told me, now you have critics, you know you’re writing successfully. ~ Linda
It’s normal to be anxious at first. Vulnerability is tough yet a blessing. ~ Wangeci
If you’re not writing about what you’d rather not admit, you’re not there yet. My best and probably also my most popular pieces have been those that have made me cringe or sweat while I was writing them. And then, if it takes 20 minutes to talk yourself into sending it, be prepared for hundreds of people thanking you for articulating what they simply could never say. ~ Billy
Always touch in with your “why”. Why are you writing? It’s okay if it’s to clear your head—but maybe the first draft doesn’t need to be shared. When it comes to writers we admire, remember that we rarely get access to see their first drafts. ~ Jen
If the timing is right, sign up for Find Your Voice and go to one of the small sessions to connect with someone who can help. Write something with the idea that you’re writing it for yourself. Maybe something you would need to hear. ~ Lauren
There’s even more like this from Waylon Lewis in Elephant Academy’s Find your Voice Course:
“Once you find your voice, there will be nothing that will stop you from sharing it. Nothing. Address the elephant in the room. If you can’t write about the room, write about the elephant.” ~ Waylon Lewis
You can join Elephant this year for a 9-week training through Elephant Academy, that has graduated thousands over the past 10 years. We keep our classes small so that you have real bonding and community. This is about challenge and change, training and encouragement—this is about you.
This course is about learning how to express oneself genuinely, directly, powerfully. It’s about the fundamental life skill of finding your own voice, finding the power in that voice, and using it to be of benefit.
AUTHOR: MOLLY MURPHY
IMAGE: @MIRAALOU/INSTAGRAM
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