Imagine its Monday morning.  You just pulled out of your driveway and you are on your way to work.  The radios playing in the back ground and you are cruising along through traffic just like any other day.  As you are driving your mind begins to wander and you start thinking random thoughts.  All of a sudden one of them seems pretty interesting to you and grabs hold of your attention.  It’s an idea for a change that you feel would be good to implement at work.  You consider it in detail to include who needs to be involved, the actions to take, and the overall benefits for those in your organization.  As you pull into the parking garage at work you find yourself smiling and excited to be there.  You get out of your car, walk up to the building, go through the door, make your way to your desk, and start to work.  Just like any other day.  Your great idea put on hold until later, which sadly may never come. 

Why is it so common for us as human beings to think up a lot of what we consider being great ideas and then fail to follow through on the majority of them?  Maybe the same reason we find ourselves hesitant to share our ideas with others.  Or why we don’t speak up when a thought comes to mind during discussions with others whether it is one on one or in a meeting with a group of people.   

I believe there are several contributing factors to this and for each of us the reasons are probably different.  Today I am going to spend some time discussing some of the factors, offer some ideas on how to overcome them, and hopefully impart why it is so important that we each find our own voice.

The first factor I will talk about is the one that I myself struggle with the most and that is having enough time to follow through on all of the ideas I have.  I enjoy thinking of ways of solving problems and making things better for myself and more so for others.  I get a real excitement when I know I have made a positive impact on someone else.  I regularly find myself reflecting on how I can try to improve things at work, home, Toastmasters, and with the kids I work with in a local youth Basketball  league just to name a few.  However, I tend to over extend myself to such a degree that many of the things I think of never come to fruition. 

In order to overcome this I need to be better at making sure that I am focusing my energies on the things that I care about the most and being better at recognizing when I am close to over extending myself.  To help me with this I must be clear about my personal values, personal mission statement, the legacy I hope to leave and use these when deciding the challenges I will take on and where my voice is needed the most.

The next factor I will discuss is the struggle that some people have articulating themselves.  In their minds they know exactly what they want to share and why it’s important to them and others.  However, they really struggle with finding a way to share it in a fashion that others understand or can follow. That forces them to hesitate in sharing or acting on their ideas unless it is something they can do completely on their own without help or approval from anyone else.  Unfortunately the bigger the idea the more likely others have to be involved in order for it to be successful. 

To help in overcoming this I would recommend trying a few different approaches.  One would be to write your ideas down in detail and then read what you have written to make sure it makes since to you.  I would also get a mentor that you trust that you can share your ideas with and gather feedback.  Lastly I would find a venue that offered you the opportunity to practice presenting your ideas, one option being a Toastmasters club.  Hopefully the more you discuss your ideas with others, answer questions, and get feedback you will be able to make your message clear enough to where you can easily share it with others.  This can help you to gain the support your voice needs once you start communicating your ideas.

The last factor I will talk about today to me is the most critical one.  It is the fact that some people feel that what they think or have to say does not matter and so they don’t speak up and they have no voice at all.  There are several reasons why someone may feel this way.  They may have tried to speak up in the past and their ideas where dismissed.  They may have been ridiculed or treated badly for their ideas or just for speaking up in general.  Or maybe they were just never asked their opinion so they decided what they thought or had to say was not important.  Regardless of the reason it is wrong.

Each and every one of us is unique in our own very special way and has a lot to offer those around us.  We deserve a chance to share our ideas and to be heard.  By not speaking up when we have an idea that we feel can improve a situation we might as well be adding to the problem.  Reflect on the reasons you have for not sharing your ideas and work to find ways to overcome them.  Be proactive in your approach and let your voice be heard.

There are numerous reasons why we don’t always follow through on the many ideas we have.  It could be due to a lack of focusing on what we care about the most, we may need to work on our ability to clearly communicate what we are thinking, or possibly we just need to believe in the value we bring to ourselves and those around us.   

Whatever the reason may be, Find Your Voice and Share It.

Because the next time you’re driving to work and a great idea grabs your attention I want you to be able to pull into that parking garage, get out of your car, walk through that door, confidently share your ideas with those around you, and make that day like no other.