How Do You Sound So Clear?

I was in a parking garage and pulled up to the exit. Since I had pre-paid online, I had to press the assistance button and tell them my account number, rather than insert my credit card.

The attendant said, “Hello, how can I help you?” I replied that I had pre-paid. She kept saying hello can I help you not able to hear me on the other end.

I leaned towards the speaker and literally yelled, ” Hello, I pre-paid for my ticket and need to be let out of the garage!”

“Ok, great ma’am, let’s get that squared away for you. Before I do that can I ask you something?”

“Sure,”I yelled back into the speaker.

“How do you sound so clear? I want to make sure other customers do this since we have been having difficulty hearing people today.”

I laughed and then yelled once more, “I am literally screaming!”

The attendant laughed and said, “Ok well you sound good.”

Sometime when we are learning to use our voice and be who true to who we are, it feels a bit like yelling to get folks to notice our message, our mission, our new path. It feels uncomfortable to flex a new muscle and unearth a shiny part of our soul but guess what? Those awkward squawks will soon become harmonious melodies. That discomfort will become crystal clear clarity as we learn to reside confidently in our skin. And what I know is that when we speak up, it empowers others to do the same thing in their lives.

That too is my journey at the moment. Speaking up after not doing it for so long feels a bit foreign, a bit awkward like taking steps for the first time.  It feels like I am yelling, but people are getting the message clearly. I  also don’t seem nearly as “mean, distance, and (insert any other shameful word)” to other people. That is just silly stuff the ego is trying to project onto me.  And you know what? This time I am moving on through those untruths because this is growth. This is evolving. This is shining. This is becoming that which I have always been: powerful beyond measure.

May we learn to express our voices with confidence, ease, and authenticity as we learn to embrace the unapologetic fullness of who we are.

Speak Up. Lean In. Live Loud.

xo

K