Finding your voice...again.
When we were kids, we often dreamed of becoming anything worth remembering. We often dreamed of becoming professional athletes, doctors, lawyers, entrepreneurs, teachers, marines, actors, or comedians. When you were that kid, you had that voice inside of you that told you that you could do and become anything your heart desired. You had this voice that told you that nothing could get in your way of achieving your wildest dreams. You know what I’m talking about. The voice that made you unstoppable.
I sure heard that voice when I was kid. Although, it first told me I could become a basketball player. Then, injuries, height (or lack thereof) and reality shifted the voice to tell me other things. It went from telling me I could be a basketball player to telling me that I could actually build a business and one day buy a professional basketball team. (that’s a blog post for a different time).
I am lucky to have had that voice talk to me all the way up to my sophomore year at Babson College. Two years and two days ago, that voice empowered me to introduce thehidden to the world. Thehidden, for those who don’t know, is my lifestyle clothing label with the mission of empowering others to be who they are. If anything, thehidden is the metaphorical microphone my voice desperately wanted. To be honest, I was the kid who always had a lot to say and just didn’t know how to properly say it. So, on an April afternoon, two years ago, my voice just told me to say what was in my heart and maybe someone else will feel inspired to do the same. Two years ago, that voice was loud and proud. Two years ago, that voice was my guiding compass in a forest of uncertainty.
Do you...settle?
But what happens when that voice suddenly goes away? What do you do? Do you close up shop on your dream? Do you...settle? No. Hell no.
In fact, what you do is you double down and you try to find it again. I’m not going to lie to you, I have no idea when that voice will come back. I have no idea when I’ll wake up again and say “I FOUND IT! Welcome back guiding voice!”
It just doesn’t work like that.
I’ve realized that finding your voice is an ever on-going process. A process of ups and a process of downs. That journey isn’t perfect but when is a journey ever perfect? I believe it’s the pursuit that makes the difference.
Therefore, today, I am formally launching that pursuit by putting my “Diary” online. You can sit back in your chair, during this time of isolation, and follow along. I aim to talk about issues that are important to me and in the process, explore these topics, and find my place within the larger conversations. At the end of the day, my voice(and your voice too) is evolving and I hope that in the process of finding it, you can find parts that will bring you closer to your own voice.
P.S