Find your voice to find your way
The title of this article sounds like a flashy personal development headline to grab your attention, but I promise it’s not. It’s more the result of an ongoing inner conversation I’ve been having with myself, and I have a feeling someone out there might benefit from eavesdropping.
Imagine you’re planning to drive from Montreal to Toronto. You’ve never done it before, but you have a pretty good idea of how to get there. Just to be sure, you decide to ask a few people for directions. Three different people. Three different routes. Now you’re confused, second-guessing yourself, and maybe even thinking about cancelling the trip altogether.
Yet before asking anyone, you were confident you could find your way.
See where I’m going with this? We do this all the time—seeking advice on what, when, and how to do, even though deep down, we already have the answers.
As well-meaning as your friends, family, and colleagues may be, they are not you. They aren’t living your life, thinking your thoughts, or feeling your emotions. They simply don’t know what’s best for you. In fact, let’s be honest, some of them don’t even know what’s best for themselves… but I digress.
And if external opinions weren’t enough, there’s also the chorus of voices that live rent-free in our heads, chatting away 24/7. Maybe it’s a parent, a teacher, or a relative—some authority figure from your past. “You shouldn’t do this!” “That’s a bad idea.” “It’s too late to start…” On and on it goes.
But that’s not the voice I’m talking about.
The voice I’m referring to is much quieter, more subtle. It’s the one you hear when you consciously decide to tune out the noise, go within, and sit with whatever questions are weighing on you.
Yes, it might feel unsettling at first. But the more you lean into this unknown, the more mental clarity you’ll gain. And over time, you’ll start making decisions that are truly aligned with who you are—finding and following your path, not someone else’s.
I’ll leave you with a meaningful quote: “Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” — Steve Jobs, 2005 Stanford University Commencement Address.¹
by Anastasia Koklyagina
Associate
Commercial Real Estate Broker
CBRE
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¹ STANFORD REPORT, “You’ve got to find what you love”, Jobs says, [https://news.stanford.edu/stories/2005/06/youve-got-find-love-jobs-says]
