Find Your Authentic Voice

After reading Steven Pressfield’s The Authentic Swing, we had to draw the comparison the the presenter’s world. In his book, Pressfield discusses the inspiration behind the Legend of Bagger Vance, and how every golfer has their own authentic swing. We feel like this is true in everything—true potential is never realized until we are authentic and comfortable with ourselves.

There’s a balance to strike here, between our “life-hacking” times and our own inherent uniqueness. We know how to optimize, how to “how-to”, how to find expert advice and know how to do things like the pros do them. All of this is at our fingertips, and yet the only possible outcome of such a development focus is a fairly sterile facsimile of real character and persona. What we’re looking for, really, is a blend of the externally recognized expertise with the internally crafted strength of a introspective, actualized individual.

That’s a tall order for presenters, but then again, why else would a bunch of people take time out of their day to listen to us gab?

What remains, then, is the question, “how do we find our authentic voice?” At the risk of sounding too cryptic, it all begins with knowing yourself. You have to read and seek enough knowledge to be aware of what’s out there, while at the same time having a strong enough personal compass to take or leave what you do or do not find true to yourself. We also have to have the courage and security to truly speak our mind—we cannot be authentic and also restrained or duplicitous at the same time.

Let’s face it: authenticity is the work of ages. Our culture doesn’t always reward it, and especially for presenters, whose words fly in the face of large groups rather frequently, it’s easy to become overwhelmed with the influence of opinions and lose your true voice in the process. But if we’re developing ourselves intentionally and with great purpose, focusing on timeless principles and holding ourselves to the highest standards of truth and integrity, we can trust that our authentic voice will, ultimately, be one of trustworthiness, friendship, and wise counsel. This is the great benefit of authenticity: once we’re there, we actually have less to fear about sharing our views than we did on the way.

As you start your journey toward finding your authentic voice, remember this: the sheer act of seeking is, itself, one of the most authentic things you could do. So step out, seek security, courage and truth, and enjoy the ride!

Question: Who do you look to for wisdom and truth when you’re trying to develop yourself?





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