Finding one’s voice is not an easy task. It would seem obvious –- our voice is our voice. She’s with us every day. But somehow it isn’t so easy, particularly for women. At least that’s been my experience.
I used to feel that my voice didn’t matter. Like many girls and young women growing up in a patriarchal culture, I embodied a “less than” attitude and stance in the world. While I was a leader in many regards through my sports teams, social groups, and academic strengths – there was still a shadow I was living under that, for a long time, I could not name.
Then one day I had an awakening that changed everything. I heard these words echo into my life:
“If we’re ever going to achieve peace in the world, we have to balance the feminine and the masculine both within ourselves and within our worldly leadership.”
At this time, I woke up to the human rights abuses of women and girls around the world, and became acutely aware of how much we had been forced into a secondary position in society and devalued because of our gender. Simultaneously, I woke up to feminine power and the goddess.
The shadow I had been living under now had a name: Patriarchy.
I vowed I wouldn’t stay silent.
That’s when I actively began to write and speak out about gender discrimination, violence against women, and the human rights abuses of women and girls. Simultaneously, I began to speak up for women in leadership, feminine spirituality and redefining power.
That’s when I found my voice.
Now let’s talk about yours.
3 Daily Rituals to Find Your Voice
RITUAL 1: START A MORNING JOURNAL PRACTICE
The first step I recommend is to start a morning journaling practice. Journaling is one of the best ways to unleash your inner voice and listen to what She has to say. By giving Her some unedited time in your journal every day, you let your voice know that she is important and that you care about what she has to say. This will do wonders for you being able to “find your voice” and go out there in the world and use it. When you write, let it be a stream-of-consciousness. Just let your pen flow. No editing along the way. You want to “un-silence” your voice and not restrict her in any way. Try writing for 10 minutes every morning for one week and see what you discover. Give yourself writing prompts. One morning ask yourself: What do I see happening around me that feels unjust? Another morning ask yourself: What is the change I want to see in the world? Another morning ask yourself: What is the change I want to create in the world?Another morning ask yourself: Who are the people I want to help? And why? The key is to show up for yourself every morning and write. This could be the best 10 minutes of your day. Go for it!
RITUAL 2: MAKE EMBODIMENT A PRIORITY
I would recommend doing some type of embodiment practice every day, for a week. For this embodiment practice, it should be something that will connect you with your hips and womb, which are powerful storehouses of your feminine wisdom and power. Some good options are yoga, dancing, swimming, walking, running, or simple stretching. If you can only commit 10 minutes a day to this, that’s fine. 10 minutes of embodiment is better than no minute of embodiment. I have an array of 10-minute guided embodiment practices in my book, Find Your Voice. I encourage you to check those out. Connecting with your body in this way will help you more easily access your wisdom and intuition, which are both very important ingredients for finding and expressing your authentic voice in the world. You will also feel more grounded, powerful and safe, which lends to feeling more confident about using your voice.
RITUAL 3: MAKE A CREATIVE EXPRESSION DATE WITH YOURSELF
The third step I recommend is to make a Creative Expression date with yourself, daily. Commit to this for one week. Mark out 30 minutes in your calendar each day to engage in some form of creative expression. How do you most naturally express yourself? What is fun and liberating for you? Singing, dancing, poetry, spoken word, painting, photography, drumming or some other form of creative expression? If you are not sure, check in with yourself: What did you love to do as a 9 year-old? This is probably a good indicator for you to follow. Whatever your form of creative expression is, commit to this time as a sacred date with your feminine soul. Allow the art form to be a container for your feminine soul to be expressed. Combined with journaling, this will unlock more and more of your voice.
When you express your truth as a woman, you not only liberate yourself. You also open up the door for other women to express their truth. As this happens, you start to shift the tides of society. The ripple effect is set in motion and what’s out there in the public consciousness changes. This is how you become a leader of change.
Once you get the above practices into your daily and weekly routine, you will gain more trust and confidence in your voice, and yourself. In my experience, the next steps will reveal themselves to you. Your inner guidance will tell you what to do with your voice next. Trust it, and go forth.
Tabby Biddle, M.S. Ed. is a women’s leadership coach, strategist, writer and consultant. Her life’s work is devoted to elevating women’s voices. To learn more about using your voice, making an impact, and being a leader of change in this world, visit tabbybiddle.com.