A Little Voice That Wants to be Heard

“The best way to predict your future is to create it.” - Abraham Lincoln 

Can you hear it? 

There’s a little part of you that wants to grow. There’s a little part of you that wants to be fulfilled. There’s a little part of you that won’t give up without a fight. 

I had a stable 9-5 job, but fulfillment is not something I had. (To be clear, this path can work for many people but I will use my story to illustrate a perspective). 

I took the “safe” route and something didn’t feel right. I felt stagnant and disconnected. 

Whenever a little voice in me said “I can do more. I am capable. I can change my life”. 

I squashed it, accidentally.

There was another voice that was louder. And without thinking, I reacted to the noise.

“It’s not for me.” “I need to support my family.” “If only I was born with a better circumstance.”. 

For many years, excuses and self-doubt were being advertised in my head. 

And with the world becoming enveloped with consumerism and distractions, these loud voices reverberated more and more, and even became comforting at times. 

Comforting because it’s easier not to take action. Easier to blame others than to take ownership. 

However, during brief moments of “stillness” I heard my inner voice again. 

It wasn’t dead. 

It was still fighting to be heard. 

Could this mean anything? 

I took this as a sign, a way out of the rut I put myself in. 

I started being curious and started asking questions.

My observations of people turned from “I’ll never be like him” to “How can I be like him?” “What made him so good at what he does?”

Better questions led to better answers. And soon, synchronicity developed. I met people and encountered books with knowledge on the matter and found more answers. 

I stopped and listened to myself more. 

I listened to what my body was telling me. 

There are “gut” responses we have because our microbiome is connected to our brain. It can physically send signals to us if something feels right for us or not. 

So from listening to the sensations from my body to guide me to what my strengths and sources of joy were, faith in myself grew.

With that said, the realization I want to share is this: 

We all have something greater in us. An inner “genius’ that’s already there. A story that hasn’t quite finished yet.

“You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great”, said author Zig Ziglar. 

And that should ring true for every soul on this planet. 

Any ordinary person can do good. There’s no prerequisite. 

But first, listen to yourself. Ask yourself questions and be patient. 

Who are you and what are you really about? 

What’s meaningful to you? What would you want others to say in their eulogies when you’re on your deathbed?

Ask these questions and listen. Be patient. 

And then you can take the smallest step forward, towards what you’re meant to do. 

Courage begets courage. 

The responsibility is ours, and ours alone. 

And this process all starts from within us. 

So let’s give ourselves a little wake up call and live a life worth living, shall we?