Listening To Your Own Voice Shapes Business Success

TUNING OUT THE NOISE

In a noisy world like ours, hearing our own voice can be extremely challenging. Whether it's the people in our families, client commitments, news headlines or intrusive thoughts, it can be nearly impossible to find the time and space to untangle ourselves from everything else. It is ultimately our responsibility to either tear ourselves away somehow (even if it's a few minutes a day) so that we can become experts at rejecting what is harmful to our progress and success. As the gatekeeper it is up to you to practice:

• Trusting your instincts

• Authenticity and differentiation

• Overcoming challenges and building resilience

which all come from listening to your own voice. Not sure how? Read on for some ideas.

TRUSTING YOUR INSTINCTS

This only comes with practice. Unfortunately, most people are not taught to trust their instincts but to trust what others think is best for them, especially women. Over time, we can tend to develop a suspicion of our instincts because we put our trust in people who did not always align with our values. What we must learn is though our instincts have always been there, we have to allow ourselves the time and experience of testing their accuracy. Just like any other relationship, our instincts have to earn OUR trust before we can feel comfortable relying on them. If you know, you know. If not, it's time for you to put your instincts to the test and it's not about blindly following weird feelings either. It's about gathering your knowledge and experience and combining that with your values as it relates to your environment. Start small and work your way up to the tall orders. Many business pioneers have done this and often it leaves them in the front of the pack or in a category all by themselves with no one to follow. This takes tremendous courage and a hell of a support system that sometimes consists of you and you. It sounds scary, I know but nothing compares to tapping into your instincts, being bold enough to challenge the status quo and watching the naysayers have no choice but to celebrate you when you win...after plenty of failure (smile).

AUTHENTICITY AND DIFFERENTIATION

Once you have made a habit of listening to your voice, you are able to bring that authenticity and uniqueness to the marketplace through your brand. With your values as your guide, you give your audience something genuine to connect to which can also lead them to listening to their voice also. One obstacle to setting yourself apart this way is being distracted and tempted to duplicate the success of others, especially on social media. There is someone selling a solution for everything and if you allow yourself, you can easily become consumed with following their methods, style, etc. which may be lightyears away from your own. There is nothing wrong with learning from others. Other people's content is not inherently detrimental. But it can be when you begin to substitute someone else's ideas, instinct and innovation for your own. There is more than one way to be successful in business and new methods are being developed all the time. There are also many factors that contribute to the success of others, too. It can be their audience (which may differ from yours), their experience, their instinct and their voice. None of these are things you should be looking to copy. When you find your distinct perspective or niche, your audience will hear you. And when they benefit from hearing you, they will support you and share with others. Figure out what makes you different.

OVERCOMING CHALLENGES AND BUILDING RESILIENCY

Entrepreneurship, like life, is rooted in having confidence in your ability to handle whatever challenges you encounter. Will you make mistakes? Yes, absolutely! Will you still learn? Also, yes. It's those disasters that teach you how to manage the next one. The knowledge and wisdom you gain are tools for your future success. As long as you are clear about that, failure loses some of its sting. So does fear. After falling down so many times, subsequently dusting yourself off and getting back in the race is very inspiring. You only lose when you quit. This kind of resiliency also garners respect from many people whether they have experienced similar setbacks or not. You give them hope to be able to do the same in their lives and that's priceless. Some of these people can also return the favor as part of your network of other authentic and resilient individuals who can be there to remind you of who you are and how far you have come. They may also continue to do so as you organically change and innovate, which will happen eventually. You might even inspire them to make changes as well. What began with you going within becomes a point of connection with community. We are only truly connected through our unencumbered selves.

A huge part of tuning out the noise to find our own voice requires accountability. But sometimes holding ourselves accountable can be tricky without consistent and honest support. Book a Strategic Consultation with Intentional Professionals, for dependable accountability coaching through your most demanding projects.

Sincerely,

-M