Whose Voice Is That?

Before we were old enough to question what we were hearing...

...we were already listening.

As children, our brains were built to absorb.

During our early years, theta brain-wave activity is more prominent, making us especially receptive to what we experience and what we're told.

Long before we had the ability to question those messages, we were collecting and storing them.

"You talk too much."

"Be nice."

"Don't make waves."

"Good girls don't..."

"You're so shy."

"Boys don't cry."

"You have to work twice as hard."

Some messages were spoken. Some were simply modeled. Some protected us.

And others quietly limited us.

We didn't stop to ask if they were true.

We simply accepted them and into the backpack they went!🎒

Over time, those messages became beliefs. And those beliefs became the lens through which we see ourselves, other people, and the world.

The surprising part?

Many of us mistake those beliefs for our personality.

"I'm just not confident."

"I've always been a people pleaser."

"I'm terrible at conflict."

"I'm not leadership material."

But what if those aren't personality traits?

What if they're simply stories you learned before you were old enough to decide whether they belonged to you?

As leaders, this matters.

Because we don't just lead from our knowledge. We lead from our beliefs.

The conversations we avoid.

The opportunities we hesitate to pursue.

The times we choose approval over authenticity.😳

The real work of leadership begins here.

The good news is that our brains are capable of change.

We can question what we've always believed.

We can choose a different story.

And in doing so, we don't just become better leaders.

We become freer.

❤️ Heidi