Can You Hear It?

As I was figuring out what life wants me to write tonight, I came across this.

In French, the words “voix” and “voie” are homonyms.

La voie means the way, the path, the direction. It’s also sometimes used to indicate the vocation that someone should follow in life or the direction that an organization should take.

La voix means the voice. It’s interesting to know that it is one of the Latin roots (vox, vocare) for the word vocation.

We tend to think about our vocation as something to which we must commit at all cost, with courage, will and sometimes obstination.

What if that sense of direction could just be a voice that we listen to? What if we thought of it as a call from inside, that we hear as we experiment with the opportunities that life brings? What if “La voie” could just point us to “La voix”?

Here is a quote from Parker J. Palmer: “Before you tell your life what you intend to do with it, listen for what it intends to do with you.”

I’ll let you listen for a moment.

…

This applies very well in business. Think about your team or your entire organization. Before you tell your company what you intend to do with it, listen for what it intends to do with you. We all had a great demonstration of this last year when all our well-controlled strategic plans got punched in the face after COVID hit. Or if you’re a new CEO, take the time to listen to where the company simply wants to go.

As an entrepreneur, I’ve felt the pressure to sound confident about where I should take my team and my business. But many times, I had no idea. In moments of panic, I would make up something, to realize later that it was a mistake and that I should have listened to my initial intuition. I was ignoring “la voix” coming from inside.

Over the years, I came to realize that we can make better decisions and avoid costly mistakes if we dare to let go of our ego and make more silence to hear that voice. It led me to discover the deep reasons why I do what I do. For instance, when I felt like I should go back to school and learn design at The School of Visual Concepts in my 40s, I wasn’t sure what I’d do with that skill. I just knew that this is where life wanted me to go. Today, I use what I learned to breath visual life into the narratives of my clients and delight them with some “magical” beauty. It just makes sense now.

This way of thinking is at the core of how I guide my clients. If you’re curious about how to apply it to your situation, please, please, please, reach out and let’s talk. Here is how to do it. No strings attached.