The Beautiful Voice of a Woman

Women amaze me.  Categorically, we are the champions when it comes to downplaying our intelligence, capabilities, and worth.  Plagued by the job title ‘Juggler Extraordinaire’, we take little credit for the many lives we hold in our hands, all to frequently saying “This is what everyone does.  It’s no big deal.”  But, it is a big deal. You are a big deal. 

You love, cherish, care for, work, clean, cook, give birth, re-invent, repurpose and renew.  How could a person that does all of that be anything less than spectacular?

I recently had the honor of hosting a small public speaking club where 5 fabulous women showed up with the sole purpose of overcoming their fear of public presentations.  I respect each one of these woman, each one creative, intelligent, well-spoken, and professional, 4 of the 5 were entrepreneurs.  The room hummed with that wonderful magic I have come to associate with women supporting women.  Their was definitely a feeling of nervousness in the air.  But, what blanketed the whole atmosphere was a sense of safeness, caring and support, a feeling that it was OK, for this one precious moment, to let your guard down, open your heart, bear a small piece of your insecurities and be held, honored and even cherished for the sharing. It was powerful.

As each woman nervously prepared to speak the group as a whole encouraged, nudged and soothed the speaker, assuring them that whatever came out of their mouth was fine.  The truth was, it was way better than fine!  The stories ranged from finding a life’s purpose, to being the mother of 6, to the culture shock of moving to the US at the challenging age of 12.  Genuine praise was showered on each brave woman as she mustered her courage and shared her piece.

Willing to support and bolster their counterparts, what struck me was the blindness these women had for themselves.  The overwhelming sentiment of each woman was ‘who would want to hear anything I have to say?‘ ‘Who would want to hear me?’  

Who would want to hear???  As each women spoke, those of us fortunate enough to listen laughed, cried, were entertained and amazed.  Spontaneous questions were fired off ‘How did you do that?‘  ‘You are so brave. How did you manage?‘  The room crackled with energy and curiosity.

When did these women decide they were uninteresting?  What made them make the decision that their lives, their stories were boring.  Where did the idea come from that their opinion was of no value?  Because, it’s just not true!  

You are interesting, no matter what you do.  Because your life, your story, your experience, your opinions, your decisions are different from everyone else’s.  As human beings, and more particularly as women, we want to know about you.  We love celebrating your accomplishments, whether it’s having 6 kids, or ‘finding yourself’ at 40.  We love to support and nurture you through the tough times.  Your opinion counts.  YOU count. 

Being interesting is not about the ‘noise’ coming out of the hole in the front of your face.  Being interesting starts from within.  It starts in your heart.  It come there very essence of your being projected outward.  When you value your heart, your voice, your mind and your life, you will find an audience ready and willing to listen.

Note:  Lisa hosts a women’s only speaking club, and teaches small group, public speaking classes to help women find their voice, vocalize their opinions, and gain the confidence necessary to be heard.

Note:  Lisa hosts a women’s only speaking club, and teaches small group, public speaking classes to help women find their voice, vocalize their opinions, and gain the confidence necessary to be heard.