There is a lot of noise in the world. Tires on pavement, sirens singing an emergent cry, politicians and wannabes peddling their message, media conglomerations decidedly left or right, and social media heavy on memes and short on connection. In all this noise it’s hard to determine what is your voice and what is an echo of other messages.

It is also easy to be overcome by the shouts of others, leaving you but a whisper. At minimum there are two sides to every story, poll, opinion, thought, idea, dream, at maximum the sides are infinite – at a distance distorted into a vicious circle. You have a choice – you always do. You can choose to look at arguments, theories, stories, or beliefs as circles, no side winning out, no edge sharper than the other. Or you can create your own edge, your own voice, and your own opinion. Its easy to feel small in a world of big personalities and voices, its important to continue to peel away the layers of others to find yourself, your beliefs, and most importantly your voice.

“Find your voice, shout it from the rooftops, and keep doing it until the people that are looking for you find you.”

Dan Harmon

Maybe rooftops aren’t your thing, maybe shouting seems obnoxious to you, that’s okay. The great thing about finding your voice is you get to decide who hears it. Who do you want to be your audience? Who do you want to share your voice with? Once you have found your voice, and you start to find others that are interested or moved by your voice you will find your whisper strengthen to something more.

Those shouting their messages, whether on social media, political campaigns, mainstream media, or in your home or work environment seldom use their own voice. In time, while using others messages to be heard, the voice becomes inauthentic, and transparent. So dig a little deeper, do some homework, and form your own opinion, beliefs, and dreams and let your voice rise above the others telling you what to do or think.