Power of One
How One Voice Can Make a Difference
What Makes Me So Special?!
This week’s photo is a design I found on Etsy, and it’s on a shirt I had made. Those boxing gloves are a reminder to fight, even when it feels like I’m the only one fighting. Every day that I survive is another round in the ring of life, and I will not quit until I have been knocked out.
People often ask me how much difference one person can make. There are literally billions of people in the world. Likely, there are thousands of writers and advocates who are cancer survivors and fighters sharing their stories through the written word and in speaking engagements. So, what makes me so special, and why does one more voice matter?
Me. That is what makes me special or unique. One more voice in a choir of people demanding to be heard can make a difference. I don’t even have to be the loudest one in the ensemble or even the best singer!
I just need to be my authentic self and find the right audience to hear my voice.
Positivity in Poverty
Mother Teresa is a great example of a woman who was soft-spoken and chose to live in poverty, yet changed the entire world with her quiet voice. Her father died when she was 8, likely poisoned by political leaders who wanted to silence him. She never saw her mother or sister after age 12. And yet … she found her calling to minister to the poorest of the poor.
One of my favorite quotes from her is this: “We fear the future because we are wasting today.” This quote is a summary of what I am called to do, even while living out a life sentence of cancer: live with mindfulness and purpose.
If I immerse myself in my calling every day, I don’t have much time or energy left to worry about the future. If I stay true to my purpose, I am more involved with living than dying.
Finding My Voice
I found my first voice when I was young and discovered that I could sing. I often had solos in school concerts and plays, and was probably considered a “first chair” soprano in those days.
When I wasn’t singing, I was la cheerleader, a youth group leader, and even a yearbook editor. Looking back, I liked the idea of leadership, but I truly didn’t know what I was doing! I would start a project or new role with passion and excitement, but would eventually get distracted by something else. Or I would start listening to that voice inside me telling me I wasn’t good enough for this, and I should just quit.
Those were hard days. I would never choose to go back to junior high or high school!
However, those hard days taught me how to survive and keep going despite the self-doubt and bullying I endured.
Fast forward quite a few years, and here I am, finding my voice in a choir of much better and more talented singers. I’m definitely not a soprano anymore, more like a second alto or even a first tenor! I have learned that my voice is important, though, and the harmonies I offer can make others sit up and listen.
I will be traveling to Washington, D.C., soon to meet with legislators, including my elected Senators and Representatives, to tell them how cancer has changed my life. My goal is to influence them to finally move the Metastatic Breast Cancer Access to Care Act to the floor for a vote. Am I the first one to talk about this? Definitely not.
Can I still influence them with my story? Absolutely.
All it takes to get their attention is one story, one voice, added to the multitude of stories and voices they have already heard. Maybe MY story is the one that will finally move them. Maybe it isn’t. But the one thing I will never do is be silent.
Weekly Challenge
I want to inspire and challenge you to find your own voice. What matters to you—work, relationships, community causes—and how are you making your voice heard? Are YOU making your voice heard, or are you sitting in silence, hoping that someone else will speak up? What’s keeping you from being heard? The answer may be as simple as looking in the mirror. Stop getting in your way! Speak up, make your voice heard.
And then, go forth. Be exceptional!
Share & follow
Facebook (1) Facebook
LinkedIN Feed | LinkedIn
Instagram: @debgoforth70
For any inquiries, please contact:
Email [email protected]
