Stephen Covey once said, “One word expresses the pathway to greatness: voice. Those on this path find their voice and inspire others to find theirs.”

In my experience, solo-flying women need to find two voices: their outer voice and their inner voice. The outer voice seems to get the most attention, but it’s the inner voice that’s often the missing piece to both balancing their stress, and to making their life come true.

Think of your outer voice as the commonly understood one used to name the message you want to share with the world. Your inner voice is the one that comes from your knowing. This voice could easily be re-named the forgotten voice.

As you zip through your day, everything from recent profits to parenting can stay at the forefront of your mind, muffling your inner voice. The voice can get pushed back even further when the message isn’t what your mind wants to hear. When this happens, an almost inaudible “I’m getting pretty hungry,” or “I need more fun,” can get completely drowned out by the mind’s chosen message. “I really need to stop now,”  then disappears under, “I still have time to get a few more calls in,” causing our self-care to take another hit.

After a while, this weaker volume can become the norm and the inner voice may slip away entirely. You’re left feeling disconnected and tired. If this sounds familiar, why not try an baby step to turn up the volume?
Start to notice when you over-ride your own inner voice. Think about how much better you could feel if you began honoring even a few of your true needs, then practice taking action the moment: when you feel hungry, thirsty or ready for a break, listen to your inner voice. Doing this a few times each day helps you to reconnect to yourself, and to your greater possibilities.