It was quite an unusual moment. I simply could not think of a new song to start. So, instead, I started singing a melody of my own creation, full of "la la la" and "do do do" and "hum hum hum" sounds. I had no words to offer and no idea where the melody would go next. I just let myself go in the flow of the music inside of me. All I had to offer was my voice, and truthfully, the most pleasurable moments in my life occur when I give all that I have to offer, knowing that it is my best.
Voices are spectacular things, just like the people who hold them. If you close your eyes and listen to someone you know speak, you can probably identify that person, just by his or her voice. Each voice is distinct. Each voice contains different elements: kindness, pain, intelligence, confidence, etc. There is so much to learn from a voice.
Collectively, though, people fear using their voices. One of the greatest fears people have is public speaking, using their voices to influence and provide insight. Most college students are unnerved by having to take a speech class as a requirement. I understand and share the nervousness that speaking creates, but I do not understand why we become so nervous, so fearful. Why? Why do we fear?
It is a privilege to have the ability to speak, to sing, to have a voice. Why waste that privilege? Use your voice. If you have something to say, say it. No one can say it like you can. No one else has your voice. You have something beautiful and unique and important to offer.
Yes, nervousness may try to plague you and keep you from doing what you are meant to do, but gather courage. Whether you know it or not, your heart is like a lion. Sometimes, you will face moments in which you know you need to speak but do not know the words to say. Do not panic. Your heart and the deep things inside of you that are prompting you to speak already have the words at hand. You just need to be willing to open your mouth.
It is true that there is a time to speak and a time to listen, a time to stay silent. However, I think that we practice staying silent way too much concerning the things that are of great importance. We tend to think that one voice will not make a difference, one song will not become an anthem. How wrong we are. How often we lie to ourselves and allow ourselves to be shepherded by the fear-inspired conformity around us.
Your heart is saying something that matters. I know it is. The deep things inside of you are singing a melody. I know they are. How do I know? Because mine are, and I am a person, an individual, just like you. My eyes see the world around me. My heart beats a rhythm. My voice yearns to make a melody.
Speak.
