Liz Rasley

Hi Again-

I’m doing this 5 minute writing challenge again..and late. Again.  Honestly, October has taken the wind out of my sails, in a good way of course.  But, it just means that while being intentional in real life, I am sometimes late here. Oh well.  Such is life.  I believe close to January it swings back the other way, and life becomes a little more quiet and laid back, which in turn means I have better, clearer thoughts and there is actually time to express them.

So. Late to the party, again, but hey, a party nonetheless.

So, a reminder in case you’ve missed it, here’s what this challenge is all about…or, in case maybe you want to play too, some time-

This is a weekly writing “game”  from my bloggy friend Lisa-Jo Baker, who blogs (and writes heart-breakingly, beautiful words and stories) at http://lisajobaker.com/

So, here’s the challenge, should you accept it: you write for 5 minutes, free, like you have no fear or shame or no editor inside your head (all are hard for me)…and then you link up to her blog, and encourage the writer who links up before you.  This last piece is crucial, as we need to encourage others.

Each week is a new word, a new thought starter, and you have 5 minutes to write….and are you ready? go-

Voice

I struggle with my voice sometimes.  Most times, actually. It’s too loud when it should be a whisper, like in church; it’s soft when it needs to speak out, like over all the negativity and undercutting remarks in the so-called mommy wars.

It’s a daily struggle: when do I hold back? When do I scream the truth from the mountaintops?

And I’ve been reminded this week about voice, and it’s power.  We can use it for positivity or for negativity; it’s one of the very few things within our control.

But if we talk out of both sides of our mouth…which, I believe is a Proverbs? verse (or maybe New Testament, the memory here in this 5 minutes is fuzzy) it reminds us that we should not talk out of both sides of our mouth.

Meaning, mean what you say.  Meaning, if you have something to say, say it.

But don’t add your voice to the clutter of the world just to hear the beauty of your own ego talking.

And remember this: when you double-speak, out of both sides of your mouth,  you become doubly ineffective with your voice.

Words and voice have undisputed power.  Palpable, tangible power.  A good reminder for myself to remember this when using my voice.