The power of communication lies in your ability to connect with people, convey messages and influence thoughts and actions. They say that action speaks louder than words, so your ability to engage with people is meaningless if you can’t follow through on your promises.
Honesty and integrity are key factors when building trust with people. Without trust, there is nothing, hence why it’s so important to live and breathe what you believe.
But that’s often easier said than done.
When you play so many different roles within a 24-hour time period, you can be forgiven for letting the mask slip when you’re tired, stressed and/or burning out. If I’m hangry my reaction to things completely changes! I can be cool, calm and level headed most of the time, but if I’m hangry or stressed I will easily lash out at the smallest of things (I have learnt how to spot these behaviours and respond differently, but I get caught out sometimes!)
When you’re playing so many different roles and attempting to live up to the expectations of others, it’s easy to forget who you really are. In fact, you may not even know who you really are (which is totally okay by the way, not many people do). However, in your pursuit of pleasing other people, are you really pleasing yourself?
THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS
When you ask yourself what you really want from life, you may realise that your job no longer brings the joy and satisfaction it once did. You may decide that it’s time to turn your side hustle into your full time job. Or it may be that your dream job as a child is still a dream job now, but the monotony of life made you believe that achieving your dream wouldn’t be possible.
Whatever your current situation, you have the power to change it. Change is uncomfortable and it can be scary, but your dreams are on the other side of the short-term discomfort you’ll feel in the moment. That has to be worth it in the long run, right?
THOSE WHO WALKED THE PATH BEFORE YOU
If you find yourself in this situation the best thing you can do is learn from people who have walked several hundred miles in your shoes. It’s why we’ve created the live event that we have on Saturday 28th September. Because there are so many incredible people out there with a story to tell. A story that will give you hope and inspire you to change.
The TEDx stage has been created specifically for real people like you, to share their experiences with a live audience. It’s why the TED tagline is: Stories worth sharing. And your story is worth sharing, because if you can inspire one other person to follow their dreams, then your work is done.
You may not feel like you’re anything special. You may feel as though other people have a more dramatic or traumatic experience that’s more exciting, awe-inspiring or unbelievable compared to yours, but your experience matters. Your voice matters. YOU matter.
POWERED BY PASSION
When you believe in something so passionately, your desire to have your voice heard and be part of creating change becomes more important than how you feel about yourself. If you’re based in the UK, chances are you’ve been taught not to speak up, or do anything that may offend someone else, but in doing this you dim your own light and let other people take your power away from you.
“Words are weapons stronger than he knows. And songs are even greater.
The words wake the mind. The melody wakes the heart” – Pierce Brown.
Words help us to connect with others. As human beings we need to feel wanted, needed and to be a part of a community that’s achieving things collectively. It’s less about having a leader and followers, but about working together in harmony, towards a goal that everyone has agreed on.
When we share experiences with others we can relate them to our own lived experiences, or we can ask questions and remain curious to find out something new that we’ve never encountered before. We don’t always have to have things in common with others to feel a connection with them. Often it can be someone’s energy or aura that attracts us to them. On rare occasions we can meet people we feel like we’ve known for all of our lives (some will say it’s because you’ve met before in a previous life)
PUTTING THE HUMAN INTO HUMAN CONNECTION
Human connection is a beautiful thing that we shouldn’t take for granted. This article in Psych Central highlights the importance of human connection in a digital world. While social media is supposed to help us feel connected to those who are no longer physically close to us, the reality is that it’s made us feel more lonely than ever.
The crazy thing is, the power to change is in your hands. You can choose to call a friend you haven’t spoken to in ages, or suggest going for drinks or grabbing a coffee. Studies have shown that you don’t even need to speak to someone to feel more connected to them, just being in their physical presence can be enough to strengthen your connection.
If there’s one thing that you can do this week to feel more connected to someone, what will you choose? A trip to the cinema? A brunch date? Or maybe e a creativity activity, such as a pottery or painting class?
Whatever you do, remember that your experiences matter, your opinions matter and the counsel that you offer really can (and does) change lives. More often than not, it’s the small gestures that have the greatest impact on others. Don’t feel the need to hold back or sensor yourself.
As Dr Seuss said:
“Be who you are and say what you feel, because those that matter don’t mind and those that mind don’t matter.”
If you do want to immerse yourself in a journey of self-discovery and be inspired by the words of others, then come along to our next live event on Saturday 28th September at Hoxton Hall. You’ll hear from nine incredible speakers and you’ll be able to experience three transformative workshops. Tickets start from £59 and are available here.