There is a voice in my head that is anything but helpful. It is constantly telling me that I am not up to par, beating me down and trying to convince me that I have nothing worthwhile to offer that has not already been done or said much better by somebody else.
I fight with this inner critic on a daily basis. While I have come a long way and can see the big picture much more clearly than I once could, this is a weakness that annoyingly keeps rearing its ugly head. So I fight on, knowing in my heart something that my head sometimes doesn’t want to believe: my voice matters.
Every voice makes a difference to the right people.Click To TweetEven the quietest individuals who stay out of the spotlight have the potential to touch certain hearts on a level that nobody else can do in quite the same impactful way. I know that because the people who have made the most profound impact on my life are humble, unassuming individuals who quietly go about doing good without fanfare or notoriety.
Our culture is full of loud voices. Prominent voices. Prestigious voices who speak and write amazing words to motivate, inspire and change the world, one individual at a time. Sometimes I want to be among them because I imagine it to feel so important and fulfilling.
Then I realize that what I have to offer may not be so visible, and perhaps that suits me better because I don’t particularly like the spotlight anyway. But then I start to question whether my contribution is worthwhile because it is small. And sometimes small feels unimportant, which brings me back to that nasty inner critic that keeps telling me to stop writing because there are so many better, more influential writers in the world than I.
The truth is that I did not find writing; writing found me. In elementary school, I wrote stories. In high school and college, I could rock the essay test like nobody’s business, but True and False tests got me every time. I have several journals of daily musings that preserved my sanity through difficult times and helped me to make sense of the world.
I have never thought of myself as a creative person, but taking my thoughts that are so often a jumbled mess and putting them into coherent words on a page fulfills a deep need to create order out of chaos, inspiration out of monotony, and life lessons out of ordinary experiences.
So I write, mostly for my personal benefit. I write because I cannot imagine a world without words. I write because living in my head is exhausting and I must get those ideas out on paper before I explode. I write because it is how I process information. I write because it changes and fulfills me. I write because I love it.
I share my writing with you in hopes that you will find something of value in my words – that my small voice will give you encouragement, hope, understanding, or maybe even just a short break from the rigors of your day. My goal is not to gain a huge following or make a six figure salary.
My goal is to connect with you, the small community that I have created and nurtured for the past couple of years, on a deeper level. I crave meaning in all facets of my life, but especially in relationships and connections with other people.
So, if you feel so inclined, drop me a quick message, leave a comment, send me an email, or connect with me on Facebook, (or my other social media channels) just to introduce yourself and say Hello. I love to hear from my readers more than I can tell you. Of course, if you do not feel comfortable doing that, I completely understand. But, thank you for reading. From the bottom of my heart.
And, if you, like me, struggle with your inner critic, let’s work on that together. I suggest we start by focusing on the one thing that our nasty internal dialogue tells us we are not good enough to do well. For me, that is writing. For you, it may be something completely different.
Stand up to that voice. Call it out on the lies that it tells you about yourself. Do not listen to or act upon its destructive nonsense. Do what it is telling you NOT to do.
When we face our inner critics head on, they lose some of their power over us.
Your contribution is important. Your voice matters even if it is small. Don’t let your smallness discourage you. Embrace it. Lean into it.
Small is a good place to start.
