It Takes Practice

It's hard enough to find your voice ... at least it was for me. It's easier to emulate others along the way, but that's not authentic. It's not really you. But more than that - you have to remember to speak from that place ...

Sing your tune  

Leaders, what would your tune sound like? I used to listen to my previous Paper Napkin Wisdom podcasts all the time ... I'm actually kind of embarrassed to admit that. I don't know why I feel feel weird saying that I listen to the previous podcasts, but I like them and I find that listening to them again and again helps me really understand better (and try to master) some of the subjects that my guests share. But recently I've been doing some podcast interviews and even hearing some other great podcasters. I wonder at times if I'm funny enough, or if I've got as much energy as some of them. Some with huge followings are very formulaic and even send prep questions to the guest. Though I prepare for the interviews, I don't send my guests anything in advance. I've started to wonder if I'd lost my voice. During this time, I hadn't listened to my work in some time. So I did it during my morning run. I picked Rick Sapio talking about his Doorman Principle. As I ran I was confronted by the reality that I hadn't been practicing. I hadn't been working on my own voice by listening and re-listening to my own work. To an author it's like writing and rewriting drafts, blogs, chapters, concepts, and ideas. I'd convinced myself I was a one-take wonder. I wasn't practicing in private, on my own. And if you don't practice in private, you end up practicing in public. I wasn't speaking with my true voice ... perhaps I started to sound like someone else. Whatever it was, I wasn't feeling 100% like myself. It's important to find your voice, but it's more important to remember it. There are lots of distractions out there, make sure you prepare properly so you bring your voice with you. Make it a great day,Govindh@WiseNapkin