I’m grateful for the opportunities I had this last year to stretch out of my comfort zone and grow.
BUT THE TRUTH IS – GROWTH CAN BE CHALLENGING.
There have been days when I just wanted to run away and keep myself from failing. I wanted to be “safe.”
You probably have these moments too. Fortunately, I have a system in place – my coaches and close friends – that support me to be the best that I can be and keep me positively growing.
But we all have times in our lives when we are just playing too small.
Whenever we get on a podcast, we’re interviewed, make a presentation, deliver our message or promote our talents, we have the opportunity to make a powerful impact on our people.
It calls for us to stop playing small and deeply connect with our audience. If you want to make a difference in your work, and get your gifts and talents seen and heard … then you have to be willing to BE SEEN and BE HEARD. No more hiding.
I want to share a story about my client and dear friend Christina, and how she had to step out of her comfort zone and let her voice be heard to finally bring her dream to life.
I remember the day Christina told me she had this dream to create a feature film based on a book that she loved. She had never taken on a massive project like this before, and she felt a little scared and overwhelmed. Up to this time, she had never written a screenplay, directed or produced a film. Most of her acting experience had been in the theater and not on camera. Yes, it was a big dream, but I knew she could do it.
Christina constantly had to challenge herself to get out of her comfort zone to make this happen. Over the last couple of years, I watched her grow on so many levels. We worked diligently together on strengthening her voice and expressive delivery. And Christina is an Italian actress, so she wanted to master her American accent. That was really challenging for her, but she wouldn’t give up. So, we took that on too and she did it, she now has a strong American accent. She also concentrated on her mindset and deepened her belief in her talents and gifts. Christina found her voice and owned her talents.
This year, Christina wrote, directed, starred in, and produced the feature film of her dreams, and it was picked up for worldwide distribution. That’s a major success and I was thrilled for her.
Recently I had lunch with Christina and she shared with me the great news and her awesome daily mantra to the universe, as she showed up on the set…
“Help me be the best I can be today – the best director, the best at being kind and helpful, the best actor, the best human.”
What an inspiration and a super great example of putting her gifts and talents out there. But yes it was challenging for Christina too, and often she wanted to run away.
You just have to be willing to take that first step out of the comfort zone of playing small.
Let’s start where you are right now…
So, take this moment and simply get clear about who you are. What do you value? What are your gifts and talents? We all have them, and yours are unique to you.
What is your superpower?
🌟 Are you great at supporting people, are you a great teacher, or do you have the power to organize and create workable systems?
🌟 Are you great at tech, marketing or writing?
🌟 Do you love to be social and network?
🌟 Do you love performing or do you rock a great sense of humor?
🌟 Are you a great leader?
🌟 Are you the one who inspires or uplifts?
🌟 Are you strong, creative, willing, or empathetic?
Don’t be shy here – list all of your superpowers.
Here’s My Personal Superpower: I see the greatness in others before they see it in themselves, and then I empower them to step into their awesomeness.
Now, what do you want to share?
You have an important gift and important things to say and share. Start right now with what you CAN do. Right now, you CAN take ONE STEP towards confidently rocking how you communicate and engage with your audience, so you can increase your impact and truly be seen and be heard.
Why not start with your Voice?
Research shows that the words we say actually have less impact than how we say them.
Vocal Elements (pitch, tone, rate, volume, intonation, and rhythm) account for 38%, non-verbal accounts for 55%, and words only account for 7%.
Now our voice is an amazing instrument. We use our voice to express ourselves and to communicate. We use it to express ourselves emotionally and intellectually. And we all identify with our own voice. It actually becomes your signature. So, it’s important that you can trust your voice and that you’re happy with the sound of it.
Sometimes our message can be inhibited by simple technical issues in the body – excess tension, a nasal voice, a breathy voice, weak breath support, a monotone inexpressive voice, or we’re just too quiet. We can also feel too tight in our bodies and we’re self-conscious about how we move and express, so we become frustrated in our abilities to effectively communicate simply because our expressive instrument needs to be developed.
To change this, start by discovering places in your body where you hold tension that will directly affect the sound of your voice. If you have tension in your jaw or your throat or your tongue you can see how that is going to make it hard to speak freely and fully.
But there are so many other places in our body where we keep tension that’s going to interfere with our best voice production. Tension in your spine, stomach, chest, and even excess tension in your legs is going to affect the way you sound.
And I know you may be thinking – hey I’m not that confident yet about speaking up, being interviewed, delivering my message, promoting my talents, presenting or being in front of a camera. I’ve tried it and I have some fear about it not going well. What’s going to change?
When you make a commitment to developing your voice, your communication skills and discovering how to authentically interact with your audience, your message will be heard and you will be seen. I’ve helped so many clients develop their dynamic voice, authentic expression and their confident mindset that allowed their expertise to fully shine.
Every time we step out a little bigger we’re going to feel a little scared and a little nervous.
But that’s what we’ve been doing our whole life. Think about all the times you had to step up in your life – getting an education, being a parent, committing to your partner, running your business, even saying yes to your gifts and talents.
What I do know, because I’ve seen it happen with so many of my clients — things CAN change. You just have to take that first step out of the comfort zone of playing small.
My gift to you today to help you find your superpower, my guided 5-minute meditation “Embrace Your Gift”.
You’re Awesome!
Faith
Faith Rumer is the Founder & CEO of Raising Your Impact
She has been coaching voice, performance and communication skills, singing, acting, and dialects for over 30 years, working with thousands of students all over the world. She has trained Academy-Award-winning actors, Grammy-winning singer-songwriters, film, TV, and recording stars, as well as TV hosts, world-class entrepreneurs, speakers, CEOs, and CFOs. Now she’s coaching Social Media Influencers, YouTube, and Podcast hosts to help them raise their impact and make the most of their voices and their communication.
Faith’s signature voice and presentational coaching method have helped her clients find their own powerful authentic voice, up-level their communication, fine-tune their skills and talents and create the confidence they need to create the impact they want to have in their dream careers.
Faith also holds a Masters in Speech Pathology, specializing in voice science. A professional singer-songwriter, actor, and motivational speaker, Faith has performed on stages in front of thousands and has acted in numerous Feature films, TV shows, and theater.
Faith is hosting a FREE bootcamp starting July 18th!
What would your life look like if you had the confidence and certainty to fully get your gifts and talents out into the world?
Your Message Should Be Heard
Discover how to permanently expand your influence and impact now!
FREE 3-Part Bootcamp – July 18, July 20, July 22