Maya Angelou once said that “words mean more than what is set down on paper. [and that] it takes the human voice to infuse them with shades of deeper meaning.” I couldn’t agree more. Every aspect of life is simply “life” until it is sparked by true human voice. When I think of true human voice, I think of the people in my life that ooze inspiration. You know who these people are. They are the ones who have a magnetic field that surrounds them and pulls you in; they are the ones who you can’t help but smile or feel better about life when you are around them. These people are rare jewels, and simply put, everything about them is authentically genuine. They know themselves, they aren’t afraid to be themselves, and they love to be around people different from them, for they know that diversity only strengthens unity.
I want YOU to BE YOU!
If you want to be this type of person — the type of person who’s voice can change the world around them — then you must first be true to yourself. You are unique and that uniqueness is your gift to the world. Actress Fanny Brice says it best: “Let the world know you as you are; not as you think you should be, because sooner or later, if you are posing, you will forget the pose, and then where are you?”
As the personalized license plates on my VW Jetta state en français, “SOIS-TOI”, or “BE YOU” for my Anglophone readers, it really is as simple as that. Be yourself; get to know yourself and what really makes you tick and, with that self-knowledge, start to inspire the world with the new power that you will find in your voice. Your voice and example will start to infuse deeper meaning into everything around you and you might find that you feel like the best version of you that you’ve ever been. Just like words that grow in meaning, so too will grow everything in your life.