{*Did you know you can write on Elephant? Here’s how—big changes: How to Write & Make Money or at least Be of Benefit on Elephant. ~ Waylon}

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​​The Beauty, Potency, and Power of Living Your Truth In This Lifetime

“You can’t go by nothing but your own convictions. Because if you don’t live the way you believe, sooner or later, you will believe the way you live.” ~ James Baldwin

Being true to who we are is a paradox—we constantly evolve, yet most of us have felt the discomfort and incongruence of being what we are not.

Leaving essential parts of ourselves out of work, relationships, and life can harden our hearts, make us unhappy, and leave us feeling chronically unfulfilled. So, while we shouldn’t try to box in and force down our identity, there are crucial core elements of ourselves that need nurturing in business and life. I consider these all part of our “voice.”

The concept of voice has been the essence of art-making for centuries. But you don’t need to be a painter, potter, or pianist to find and channel your voice; your life can be your art.

When you approach life this way, it helps you live true, feel more fully here, authentically connect to others and the world, and leave a meaningful mark on existence. Today, we’re going to dive into finding and aligning with your voice.

Find Your Voice

In painting, finding your voice is the culmination of time spent exploring inspiration, techniques, themes, materials, and colors—discovering what resonates and discarding what doesn’t. It requires experimentation, failure, and evolution without fixating on results.

We tend to think an artist has a strong voice when their work has a distinct presence or a kind of life force of its own. The same can be said of our voice in our lives.

You tend to know a person has a fully expressed voice when you meet them—they are distinct, distilled, seemingly fearless, and carried by something greater. I’ve met few people who fall into this category, and I think it tends to happen in the later stages of life, because to get there is a great exploration.

This exploration involves everything from who we are, to how we live, to what we want to do with our lives; from deconstructing our social conditioning, to deciding our values, to evolving our personal philosophy; from exploring our personal style, to how we love and relate to others to what a good death looks like to us.

In this great exploration, we find what resonates, discard what doesn’t, and ultimately, make choices.

Make Choices that Free Beauty

Our lives are the sum of a series of choices we make, just like any piece of art. The more defined we become, the more limitations we experience because the more choices we make, the more our lives “take shape” in a certain direction, and the less possibility there is as a result.

These limitations are not bad; they are inherent. They are what give shape to us. Artists make choices of these limitations in an attempt to free beauty.

For example, by the time I get three-quarters of the way through a painting, there’s a lot of colors and marks on the canvas, and there are fewer options for what will work overall, unless I want to repaint the canvas white and start all over again.

There are plenty of limitations in life that we have no control over, which makes it even more important to be conscious of the choices we do have control over, and the limitations they create.

Mark Manson says “pick your pain,” and I love this philosophy. Know that pain and suffering are unavoidable, but also know that in many instances, you can choose what you suffer for.

Finding your voice, and making decisions aligned to your voice, helps you free the beauty in your life and soul. When you find and align with your voice, you suffer for the things you love—the things that bring your growth and nurture your soul—and this leads to a happier and more meaningful life.

Hedge Against an Unlived Life.

“Nothing exerts a stronger psychic effect upon the human environment, and especially upon children, than the life which the parents have not lived.” ~ Carl Jung

Maybe you’ve seen or felt what Jung is describing in this quote. I certainly have.

We are evolving creatures by nature; therefore, we will always live with some unrealized potential inside us. But for some of us, that unrealized potential grows so big and becomes so voracious that we become angry, anxious, and depressed, and it causes havoc on the world around us.

Part of finding and aligning with our voice is deconstructing the inherited value and belief system we all received as children, and reconstructing something more true for ourselves as adults.

The people I see who are happiest at every age are those living according to their true nature, as opposed to social expectation, and letting go of the rest. Those who tried to fit themselves into or fell into pre-defined boxes that were not true for them are those who are reckoning with the decisions they made the most—me included.

We are being given the freedom to uncover our purpose and live according to our true nature in every aspect of our lives, and quite frankly, that is overwhelming. We are positioned for a chance at true freedom and liberation—it’s increasingly up to us to determine what we think and how we behave.

How long does it take?

“Had I not created my whole world, I would certainly have died in other people’s.” ~ Anaïs Nin

Finding our voice is not a destination but an evolution.

It can take artists decades—sometimes a lifetime—to bring their voices to life, to create distinct work that influences and resonates.

Many never get there.

So, why do it?

We do it because we know the point is not the getting there, but the meaning and satisfaction we get from walking the path itself. We do it because we know that most of the “results” arise from the journey.

When we begin to stand behind our voice, our world starts to reorient in the direction of our truth, which brings more authenticity to our lives. We tap into a deep voice inside ourselves, a calling from something unequivocal that emerges from our bones, which brings greater purpose to our lives. As we walk the path and continue to align, cogs click into place and suddenly everything—the people we meet, the projects we work on, and so on—becomes more aligned, which brings more potency and meaning to our lives.

Finding your voice is not just a path for artists; it’s a journey for all of us. It’s about aligning with our true nature, making conscious choices, and living authentically.

Embarking on this journey can liberate us from the chronic unfulfillment of an unlived life, allowing us to thrive as the unique creatures we are in the world. It encourages us to live boldly and create a legacy that is uniquely our own.

So, take the time to find and align with your voice, make choices that resonate with your true nature, and embrace the freedom to be who you truly are.

Your voice is waiting to be discovered, and not only is the world ready to hear it, but your life will be better for it.

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