Break Away From the Chorus

                                                     Po Bronson

   When was the last time you sat and listened to a chorus? Better yet if you are gifted with even a slight bit of ability to hit a note correctly you yourself may have been part of a chorus. Either way you have witnessed the beauty of a collection of human voices singing in harmony. Each individual voice is lost as one glorious sound is emitted into the audience. Yet with every chorus there is an opportunity for a solo. That solo represents an opportunity to break away from the group and let your unique voice to be heard. Solo performances are coveted by many of the members of the group. They are genuinely enjoyed by all members of the group. It is the one opportunity to hear you own voice and its contribution to what most feel is a powerful event. Even though there is a common goal amongst the chorus breaking away from the common harmony to sing your solo is the greatest experience of them all. This is true in a chorus and it is also true in your life. It is easier and often rewarding to follow the status quo and do what everyone else is doing. For many this is the path chosen to “guarantee” an acceptable amount of success. However, deep down we are all in search of an exceptional amount of success. The only way to accomplish that is to add your own unique values, thoughts and actions to the situation at hand. At some point you will have to break away from the sound of the chorus so you can hear the sound of your own voice. 

It is Important to Hear the Sound of Your Own Voice

     It is important to hear your own voice because until you know yourself you will never know what you are truly capable of. Yes it’s true that none of us can truly be successful on our own. That doesn’t mean we need to fall in line and do what the masses do. What it means is we will need help from others while we navigate our path to success. That success is defined, owned and accomplished by you not the masses. Therefore you must take charge and define your success. You must own your success. You must decide how that success will be accomplished. If you don’t know yourself then you will never be able to accomplish that task. 

     This means you must not be the fly on the wall in a meeting. You need to voice your opinion. You need to be heard. If things are taking a direction that you do not agree with make sure it is known. You may ultimately be right in your thinking and help steer the group to a successful outcome. You may also be wrong in your thinking and gain knowledge and insight for use in the future. Either way you win.

     However if you just follow the group and do what everyone else is doing you lose and the group loses. You lose because you never learn what uncovered gifts and capabilities you have outside of the group. The group loses because it never gets the benefits of you sharing your unique gifts and capabilities you have that they are unaware you possess.

You Win and You Grow

     You win because you gain confidence and appreciation for the things that you bring to the table. This is not an ego play but instead it is a funnel for the practice of gratitude. Everyone loves a confident person because you can count on them to give it their all to the task at hand. A grateful person will appreciate the moment and take nothing for granted. Those are the people we all want in our group. However the group can’t collectively produce them. The person has to produce themselves.

     No matter where you are in your life you still have opportunity for growth. You can’t grow by merely following the path of the masses. In order to guarantee growth you are going to need to break away and let your voice be heard. You will need to follow your own path and learn from it. They say you can’t teach an “old dog new tricks”. However an old dog can still grow to be an older, wiser dog by breaking away and doing its own thing. The path to success is a unique one that is often granted to the individuals that decide to blaze their own path. So take this as a reminder to break away from the chorus every now and then to let your own unique voice be heard. Trust me you will learn a lot from that experience and so will everyone around you.

Have a great week,