Whatever your Life Purpose, whether it involves reaching the masses directly as an author and speaker, or whether it’s being a family woman, a business person, an innovator, a healer, an artist, or anything else, your voice is your tool for attracting others. Think about it. You know a bird by its song, (as well as its feathers!) I know the voices of those who frequent my back yard: goldfinches, hummers, killdeer, crows, seagulls, and bald eagles. When I see a familiar actor, I’m most likely to recognize them by their voice.

The way you express yourself is the most natural thing in the world. But like most natural things, the minute you start analyzing it, it gets self-conscious, plastic, awkward, and clunky. Learning to recognize the uniqueness of your voice is like approaching a wild animal. You have to use your peripheral vision rather than staring at it straight on.

Here are two places to start to find your voice. Observe your voice:

• When you are talking to someone in your flock. Last week I talked about signs that show you’ve found your flock. Whoever this is, it’s someone you feel at ease with, and with whom you can talk about your passions without holding back. It’s how you talk when you aren’t screening heavily for “appropriateness.”

• When you are talking to yourself. This might be aloud, (I’ve talked to myself aloud for years. Yeah, I know – certifiable!) Next to journaling – sometimes more than journaling, it’s my most effective way of getting down to what is really going on with me, what I’m really feeling. Yes, School of Love is my Life Lesson – authentic self-expression is both the key and the heavy lifting of my journey.

Start paying attention to its qualities. Do you use a lot of humor when you tell about something? Do you have a singularly wise way of putting things? Is there poetry to your voice? My mother writes bicycle trip-o-logs that are like poetry. She hates that descriptor, because she thinks she isn’t a writer, and she wants to be adventurous and scientific, not poetic! But her bike-logs have the brevity and the evocative imagery of poetry. Whether she likes it or not, that’s her voice. She also thinks of new words to songs she knows, to sing about her biking days. It’s clever, often funny, and highly entertaining. That’s her voice, too. By the way, today is her birthday. Happy Birthday, Mama!

Here’s another tip to learning about your voice: What do you love to read? If you get dropped off at a book store, and you have an hour to spend at your leisure, which section (or sections) of the store will you make a bee-line to?

If you aren’t a reader, what do you love to listen to? Do you love Click and Clack on NPR? Garrison Keillor on A Prairie Home Companion? Or is Nina Totenberg your favorite, the incisive political and legal affairs correspondent? I’m a huge fan of Terry Gross, producer and anchor of NPR’s Fresh Air, where she interviews artists, writers, musicians, actors, etc. She’s a pro at drawing people out with really interesting questions. Hmm… you can tell I’m an NPR listener… but whatever you listen to, it holds clues to the qualities of your own voice.

We take in that which we love. Then we learn to express what we love. Modeling from what we are drawn to is perfectly natural. Modeling, mind you, not copying. But you knew that.

I’ve been thrilled, in the last month, that two members of my “flock” have mentioned they are thinking of starting a Blog. I say: Go for it!!!! It’s a perfect way to develop your voice. You’ll learn as you go: what brings the greatest response, what flows most easily, and what you want to write more about. You’ll also learn where you need to be more open and authentic. People are drawn to our humanity, not our perfection.

So – when will you start? Learning by doing is priceless. And, whether it’s your aim or not, while doing it, you will be drawing your flock.  Find your voice, draw your flock, right? First stop, your blog. Next stop, your book! Just sayin’… ;>)

Coach’s Challenge: Go ahead! Start your blog this week! Use one of the free easy-to-access blog formats available, like www.WordPress.com  or Google’s www.blogger.com.  You’ve nothing to lose, and everything to gain. Leave a comment about it on my blog, or drop me an e-mail: lindy@wecansoar.com. I want to hear about it!